It was the early spring of the 20th year of Zhenguan when Li Zhi and his entourage returned to Chang'an from Luoyang.
Since then, a rare spectacle occurred in the Tang Dynasty——
The emperor is away, but the prince is in charge!
Such strange things puzzled the people and astonished the foreigners.
Rumors suddenly started, and rumors spread everywhere.
Some ministers suggested suppressing rumors and guarding against public opinion.
Prince Li Zhi did not agree or control it. Instead, with the help of ministers, he introduced a series of policies to benefit the people and strengthen national defense.
Before the next year, everyone in the world praised the prince's virtues, and the barbarians from all over the world congratulated him and honored him with the title of "Prince of the Emperor".
King Li Ke of Wu ruled the old territory of Tuyuhun and changed the name of the country to Tang and Wu; King of Qin Li Chengqian ruled the old territory of Turks and changed the name of the country to Tang and Qin; King of Wei Li Tai ruled the old territory of Goguryeo and changed the name of the country to Tang and Wei.
These three kingdoms are all descendants of the Tang Dynasty. The heads of the three kingdoms went to Chang'an in person to pay homage to the prince. They handed over military talismans and national taxes, compared themselves to their servants, and swore to always respect the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. If they violate this oath, heaven and earth will destroy him!
Since then, the Tang Dynasty has been in power with the crown prince, governing all the internal and external areas with reasonable principles and laws. In the blink of an eye, it has been ten years.
…
Thirty years after Zhenguan, the beginning of summer.
Boom, boom, boom!
The wheels rolled over the muddy road and rushed towards the mountain.
"Faster, faster!"
In the carriage, Li Zhi looked anxious and ordered,
After ten years in power, he has grown a beard and developed the aura and grace of an emperor.
But at this moment, he still lost his composure.
"Your Highness, you can't go any faster! This is a mountain road!"
The chamberlain beside him said:
"If you go faster, the wheels will slip and it will be dangerous!"
"Don't worry, you..."
boom!
Li Zhi slapped the seat and said angrily:
"Can Gu not be anxious? Why didn't you tell Gu earlier that your father is seriously ill?!"
"We have to wait until the last moment! You are not going to let me even fulfill my filial piety. Do you want me to be stigmatized as unfilial!"
"What a bastard!"
The waiter looked bitter.
"His Majesty, it is Your Majesty's will to conceal your illness, and the servants do not dare to disobey..."
He said helplessly,
"Your Majesty said that you are busy with state affairs and cannot leave easily. He is accompanied by the Queen and there are so many people waiting on him, so there is no need to trouble you."
"Similar situations have occurred before, two or three times. Later, His Majesty recovered his health after recuperation, but this time... his condition seems to be more serious."
"The servants begged and begged, but His Majesty still refused. In the end, the Queen made the decision, so the servants traveled all night and night to invite His Highness the Crown Prince and the four brothers-in-law."
After hearing these words, Li Zhi's eyes were filled with tears.
"Father...Father!"
He shouted and punched the pillow beside him with his fists to vent his emotions.
Crunch.
There was a sound from the wheels and the carriage came to an abrupt stop.
"Are you here?! Are you at Cuiwei Palace?"
Li Zhi was shocked, stood up quickly, and got out of the carriage.
It was raining lightly outside, with a bit of chill, making the entire Nanqian Mountain sink into the misty rain.
"Your Highness, umbrella!"
The waiter beside him hurriedly opened the oil-paper umbrella, trying to protect Li Zhi from the rain, but was pushed away by him.
"Get away!"
Li Zhi was emotionally unstable and scolded,
"I'm not that squeamish!"
When the chamberlain saw this, he could not hold an umbrella or not, so he could only accompany the prince to get wet in the rain.
Li Zhi was soaked in the rain and looked at the palaces inside the mountain gate, feeling a little relieved.
When people are depressed, they seem to like getting wet in the rain.
But at this moment, an oil-paper umbrella hit Li Zhi on the head.
"It's not like I don't want to..."
"Master."
Li Zhi was about to push away when he saw the person holding an umbrella for him was Xu Fenglei.
"You have to face separation and death. Calm down your mood and go in."
Xu Fenglei said slowly,
Today, he is a bit stronger than when he was young.
A little more calm and a little less elegant.
Even when he walked, he was even and steady. There was no sadness or joy on his face, only calmness, just like an old man in the family who was used to seeing life and death.
"Master, Father, he is really..."
Li Zhi's eyes were red, and he reached out to take the oil-paper umbrella, but he was a little trembling.
Behind him, Changsun Wuji, Chu Suiliang, and Li Ji all followed, with solemn expressions.
The four of them are what the chamberlain calls the 'four princes'. Apart from the prince, they are the people who stand at the pinnacle of power in the Tang Dynasty!
Among them, Xu Fenglei's status is the most respected. In a sense, his reputation is even higher than that of the prince!
As for Li Jing and Fang Xuanling?
They have long passed away.
Tick tock, tick tock.
Rain fell from the eaves of the mountain gate, and two teams of attendants came to greet him at the door.
"See His Highness the Crown Prince!"
"I've met all of you!"
The attendants knelt down and saluted one after another, but Li Zhi didn't care about saying anything to avoid saluting, and ran straight to Cuiwei Palace!
He walked quickly, and Xu Fenglei followed him, holding an umbrella for him.
The three people behind him didn't even hold an umbrella and trotted to follow in the rain!
…
Inside Cuiwei Palace.
On the bed, Li Shimin looked haggard, sometimes awake and sometimes drowsy. He was already on his deathbed.
The eldest grandson Wugou beside him said nothing, just shed tears silently, and kept guarding him.
Da da. Da da da.
The sound of rapid footsteps came.
"Father, father!"
"Father, what's wrong with you? Father!"
"Father!"
Li Zhi walked faster and faster, and in the end, he rushed to Li Shimin's bed and knelt down with a thud.
When he saw his father's face, his tears could no longer be held back and burst into tears in an instant!
"The child is unfilial!"
"The child is unfilial! Wuwu, Wuwuwu..."
Li Zhi held his head and cried bitterly.
Changsun Wuji, Chu Suiliang, and Li Ji walked into the hall, and when they saw Li Shimin's defeated face, their eyes instantly turned red.
"His Majesty!"
"You have to cheer up! You have overcome so many difficulties, and you will definitely be able to do it this time! Go and invite Master Sun to come!"
"Bodhisattva bless you, Taoist ancestors bless you, bless you..."
Changsun Wuji was the most excited, with tears streaming down his face. He knelt down and begged Xu Fenglei:
"Xu Gong! Go and invite Master Sun to come! Consider me begging you! I...I kowtow to you!"
Xu Fenglei sighed softly.
"I have already asked Zhenren Sun to check. Your Majesty's current condition is not illness, but exhaustion of Qi and blood, and he is about to end his life."
he whispered.
"The qi and blood are depleted...can we use medicine to stimulate it again, or force it to be replenished?"
Changsun Wuji still refused to give up and asked.
Xu Fenglei shook his head.
"I've already had it twice, but there's no cure for it. If I try it again, Sun Simiao won't be able to do it. The only thing that can do it is Taishang Laojun's golden elixir."
"Everyone, please have your condolences."
Who has never died since ancient times? No matter how brilliant a person is, he is nothing more than a handful of dirt in the end.
Li Shimin once compared himself to the mighty Phoenix. Now, this mighty Phoenix, who once looked down upon the world and was the only one who respected himself, has finally reached the end of his life...
Li Erfeng is about to receive his lunch box, and his ending also means that the book is almost finished. I will write more slowly, and the number of words is unstable. Please forgive me, just for the past few days, the last trembling things...
(End of chapter)
