When Li Shimin heard this, he nodded in agreement.
"yes……"
He sighed,
"This animal cannot be kept."
"What you said reminds me that after a hundred years, I should be cautious about which ministers I should leave for my successor. This is worthy of repeated consideration..."
Li Shimin originally thought that all his capable officials were loyal and good.
Now it seems that is not the case at all! There is also a traitor like Hou Junji in the ranks of the ministers who can't protect Qi!
If you are entrusted with an important task, there will be endless troubles!
"You should think about it carefully."
Xu Fenglei echoed,
"For example, when I accept a disciple, I have to look at the face and the bones. The most basic thing is to see whether the disciple is loyal."
"Those who cheat, cheat, and cheat in Chao Qin and Mu Chu will never get into my eyes."
Li Shimin raised his eyebrows.
"Oh? How to tell whether a person is loyal and reliable?"
"Come and listen, I want to learn this."
Xu Fenglei responded:
"Look at the hairline on the back of the head. The further it goes down the neck, the longer and more loyal it becomes."
"On the other hand, they have changeable minds and are unwilling to settle down in one place. If they cooperate with Gui Gu again, they will definitely change jobs."
"Of course, this can only be a preliminary judgment. It's much more complicated to really test people's hearts. You can't just say that someone is unfaithful just because the hairline on the back of their head is short. That would be too arbitrary."
When Li Shimin heard this, he subconsciously touched the back of his head.
"I seem a little short..."
he said to himself.
The corners of Xu Fenglei's mouth raised slightly.
How can you be loyal? You are capable of killing your brother and forcing your father...
"why are you laughing?"
Li Shimin keenly caught the change in Xu Fenglei's expression and said displeased.
"Really? I didn't smile. Your Majesty saw it wrong."
Xu Fenglei quickly lowered the corners of his mouth and said,
"The reason why His Majesty's hairline is short is because you are an emperor. An emperor is the master of the world, so why do you need loyalty? You are the only one who makes others loyal. No one is worthy of your allegiance."
"So, this is normal."
Li Shimin snorted softly.
"That's a pleasant explanation."
He turned to look at the back of Xu Fenglei's neck and touched it with his hand.
"Hey, you're quite tall."
"So, you are a loyal person?"
Xu Fenglei raised his head.
"That's natural. I'm not that ambitious white-eyed wolf."
He said proudly,
"Whether it is for friends, elders, or master, I, Xu Fenglei, respect me from the bottom of my heart and will never do anything detrimental to them secretly!"
"If you don't uphold this right path, you are not a gentleman, but a complete villain!"
Bang bang!
"Okay, okay! I approve of this boast!"
Li Shimin laughed and said,
"It seems that the first important minister who can be entrusted with the affairs behind him has been found!"
"Over the years, I have indeed trusted you the most, and you, Xu Fenglei, have never let me down!"
"We are monarchs and ministers, and we are also friends! This relationship is stronger than gold!"
Xu Fenglei got goosebumps.
"Your Majesty, don't say such disgusting words, I feel uncomfortable all over."
He said hurriedly,
"Your Majesty is only forty years old now. What are you thinking about after death? That will all happen decades later."
"Besides, I'm not a political assistant. I'm not good at anything except my mouth, so you might as well spare me."
Assistant Minister?
In history, few of the most important ministers and auxiliary ministers ended up well!
Either he was exhausted, or he was afraid of the new emperor and didn't like it.
He doesn't want to take it! When your head collapses, I will go back to Moyushan, so I won’t continue to work for your family!
"Sigh...a few decades, I'm afraid I won't be able to live that long."
Li Shimin shook his head and smiled bitterly,
"I am no longer the one who dominated the world at the age of twenty-four. Since I passed forty, I have obviously felt that my energy is low and my body is not as good as before."
"If we continue like this, it will be good if we can live for another ten or twenty years. Naturally, we have to make plans for what happens after our death."
Xu Fenglei was silent for this.
Li Shimin in history indeed only had ten years left to live.
Looking at his hair on the temples, which was now slightly white, we knew that his energy was indeed running low.
"It's hard to be a wise king."
He sighed softly,
"Trouble and delusion, distress in body and mind, will lead to humiliation and wandering in life and death."
"Qingxiu can live a long life, because the body and mind are peaceful. An emperor like Your Majesty has to deal with countless government affairs every day. Even if he sleeps, he has to think about the future of the country. How can he live a long life?"
"If you are a foolish king, you will eventually be hurt by wine, sex and wealth, which will be even more unbearable."
"The two words emperor and longevity are always at odds with each other."
Ming Jun died early because he was busy with state affairs.
The foolish king died early because he indulged in sex.
This is why the average life span of emperors is only thirty-six years old, which is shorter than ordinary people.
"Although I understand this truth and can reluctantly accept this cruel fact, but... can you please stop talking about it."
Li Shimin bared his teeth and said,
"I feel uncomfortable after saying that."
Xu Fenglei quickly closed his mouth and stopped forcing Lai Lai.
"Let's talk about practical issues. How do you think this turmoil should be quelled?"
Li Er asked again.
The pace of the two of them slowed down at this moment, chatting while setting the tone for the major event of rebellion.
"It is a certainty that Hou Jun will conspire to rebel. Hundreds of thousands of troops will witness it tonight. There is no way to keep it secret, and there is no need to keep it secret."
Xu Fenglei pondered for a moment and said,
"The world should know about his treason!"
"Then, he will be publicly sentenced to death. At that time, those who should be allowed to live in peace, as well as all the ministers in the court, will go and watch the execution! To serve as a warning to others!"
Li Shimin flicked his sleeves.
"Do we still need to discuss the matter of Hou Junji? I'm talking about the prince!"
He said displeasedly,
"Don't worry about him! How should the prince deal with him?"
"Give me an idea."
Xu Fenglei pointed at himself.
"Your Majesty, don't dig a hole for me."
"I make the decision? For such a big matter, involving the crime of treason, you want me to make the decision?"
He knew that his status was not low and his words were not gentle, but at this time, how could he, Xu Fenglei, be qualified to make decisions?
How funny!
"yes."
Li Shimin said very calmly,
"I can't make up my mind, so I'm asking you what you mean."
"Chengqian is involved in this matter, and he is still a core figure. No matter what his thoughts and purposes are, it is a fact that he collaborates with the rebels and usurpers."
"I can't decide whether it's hidden or revealed. Please help me think about it."
Xu Fenglei raised his eyebrows.
"If I want to hide, I want to protect Cheng Qian and let him continue to be the crown prince."
He said,
"If this matter is made public, he will be held accountable, and removing him from the position of crown prince is the lightest thing!"
"But, if this is the case, it may damage the reputation of the royal family. After all, the world will not delve into why the prince participated in the rebellion. They only know that the emperor's son wants to destroy the emperor. Just like in the beginning, uh..."
When talking about the latter part, Xu Fenglei almost said something stupid again, but quickly stopped.
Li Shimin's expression changed as expected, and he snorted coldly:
"Then you mean that in order to preserve the reputation of the royal family, you concealed the matter, that is, you did not deal with the prince's fault?"
"Just think of it as Hou Junji's unilateral rebellion, right?"
Although Xu Fenglei's words poked him a bit, this was indeed what Li Shimin paid most attention to.
A Xuanwu Gate Incident has become a 'scandal' for the royal family.
If the current prince still rebels and usurps his father's throne, he will be criticized for thousands of years!
After all, he, Li Shimin, is the one who started the bad thing!
"That's not true."
Xu Fenglei said again,
"Of course the prince will be punished! There is no doubt about it."
"However, it should be dealt with in a gentle, decent and seemingly normal way, instead of going wild and shocking the courtiers and making the world talk."
Li Shimin's expression improved a little.
"How to be gentle, how to be decent?"
he asked.
"Two things aside."
Xu Fenglei said,
"Dealing with Hou Junji is what needs to be done now, but there is no need to rush in punishing the prince."
"After the princes are gathered together to bring justice, and a while later, find a time to find a reason to remove the prince from his position as heir apparent."
"That way, no one will associate the two things together."
Li Shimin frowned slightly.
"Do you really want me to depose Cheng Qian?"
He wondered,
"He is the prince you have worked hard to cultivate for more than ten years. Are you willing to be deposed like this?"
Is this kid really so upright?
Based on my understanding of him, it shouldn't be possible, right?
"Your Majesty was wrong. He was not deposed, but exempted."
Xu Fenglei corrected,
"Deposition is a very severe punishment, while exemption is just a normal appointment and dismissal."
"When the prince of the dynasty is no longer qualified for the position of crown prince, he will be exempted from the title of prince and let him become a wealthy prince, and let someone more suitable to be the prince take over."
"This is the right thing to do."
He paused for a moment and then said:
"As for the question of whether you are willing or not, to be honest, I originally wanted to support Cheng Qian."
"But I have changed my mind now, because he doesn't like his current life and status at all. The word prince is a prison for him."
"Now that I have seen this, as a master, I will naturally not force her to do something she doesn't want to do."
"Let him relieve himself of his burden. Everyone has his or her own path to walk. Cheng Qian's path may not really be the path of an emperor. Why bother forcing him?"
Li Shimin was silent.
The two of them walked forward slowly, and before they knew it, the palace was already in front of them.
"……Maybe."
Li Er whispered,
"Then do you think, among the other princes, who is qualified to be the heir apparent?"
"Li Tai? Li Ke? Or Li Zhi?"
"Or some other prince?"
"You said Cheng Qian is not suitable to take this imperial path, then who is suitable?"
Xu Fenglei smiled.
Needless to say? It must be my invincible slave Li Zhizhi!
As for his bad temper, the emperor's mental skills are innate, Chun Chun came just to be a loner!
However, he will not make any statement at this moment.
"why are you laughing?"
Li Shimin said displeasedly,
"Are you serious? What I am discussing with you now is a national issue! It is the foundation of the Tang Dynasty!"
When Xu Fenglei heard this, his smile became even brighter.
"Your Majesty, aren't you making things difficult for me? I know a hammer?"
He said,
"Your Majesty may have made a mistake in the order."
"It's not who I choose that His Majesty will establish, but whoever His Majesty establishes, I will fully support."
"I will only support, not choose."
"So, I don't know!"
Li Shimin's face darkened.
"Listen, I regard you as a true friend. Why are you trying to prevaricate me like Li Jing?"
"Don't worry! I will never doubt you or do anything like this just because of this moment. I really want to know your opinion."
Xu Fenglei just laughed and said nothing.
Li Shimin still refused to give up and asked:
"Qingque?"
"He is the son of Guanyin, you must be more attracted to him, right? Although he is a little weak, his wisdom is very high."
"As long as he is trained and trained, he can still be qualified to be the crown prince, don't you think so?"
Xu Fenglei nodded: "Yes, what your Majesty said is absolutely true, and I deeply agree."
Li Shimin: "..."
"You're so perfunctory!"
He said again,
"Then you prefer Li Ke?"
"Li Ke is indeed the child who is most like me. He is very capable. If he becomes the emperor, his achievements will definitely not be inferior to mine!"
"Although he is the son of Concubine Yang, if I really want to establish him, I can still overcome the resistance. I believe Guanyin Maid can also forgive me. At worst, I will imitate Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty."
Xu Fenglei bared his teeth.
"Your Majesty is very cruel. If you want to establish Li Ke, you have to kill his mother."
"Okay, let me say one thing, I only support the baby born by the queen, and don't consider anything else. This is considered to be a restriction."
"Ke'er, just let him be the king and hegemon in Tuyuhun, and don't torment him anymore."
Li Shimin snorted softly.
"Don't you dare to be perfunctory this time? Well, if you eliminate one, only the child slave is left."
He raised his head slightly and said,
"This kid, Zhinu, is even more frail than Qingque. His biggest characteristic is benevolence and filial piety."
"I love him very much. To be honest, my love for my children is indeed unfair. But now, the one I love most is the child slave."
"But it is difficult for a child who is benevolent, filial, and weak to take on the important role... Everyone thinks that the king's heart is unpredictable, and accompanying him is like accompanying a tiger. But in fact, in the eyes of the king, aren't the civil and military officials of the dynasty just a scourge? Everyone is like a scourge. He is not an easy-going master! Once the monarch is weak, there will definitely be treacherous ministers who take over the power!"
"So, this child Zhinu... I love him very much, but if I really want to establish him, I have more worries."
"Unless I have powerful and extremely loyal ministers to assist me, I cannot rest at ease."
Xu Fenglei touched his chin.
"Support all your Majesty's decisions."
He still said the same thing.
When Li Shimin heard this sentence, his nose almost became angry!
"Can you stop doing this? Can you give me some ideas?"
He scolded, "Now, give me an answer!"
"Is it a green bird or a child slave? Your opinion is very important to me."
This kid is just lying around here!
"It's all good, it's all good."
Xu Fenglei looked like a dead pig not afraid of being scalded by boiling water, and said,
"Your Majesty's sons are all good boys. As long as they are chosen, they have the ability to become emperor."
"real……"
