For several days, there was no movement in the court.
Li Shimin deliberately did not mention countering the rebellion and rumors, and only waited for the ten-day deadline, when he would make a big fuss about the assassination.
He knew that as long as he expressed his attitude first, the Yizhou princes would quickly find a countermeasure.
What Li Shimin needs now is that the Yizhou princes can't figure out their own attitudes. People often have fear and anxiety about unknown things.
The same is true in the court. What Li Shimin is waiting for is that the princes are suspicious of each other because of unknown fear. Only in this way can he have an opportunity to find flaws and divide the Yizhou gentry, win over a group of obedient people, and attack the remaining ones who are ignorant of current affairs.
At dusk on the eighth day of the ten-day period of the Assassin's Affair, a number of prominent people gathered in a wealthy family's courtyard in Chengdu.
"Recently, His Majesty has simply seemed to have disappeared. He didn't make a statement during the court meeting, and after the court meeting, he plunged into the harem and never came out. For several days in a row, I haven't received any useful news from His Majesty. What should I do?"
"Who says it's not the case? A few days ago, everyone watched His Majesty and Fan Wuwei talking and laughing freely in and out of the Forbidden Palace. We thought His Majesty would take action, but we didn't expect that His Majesty would act like the Anle Emperor just like before he recovered."
In the palace, there were many prominent people, and every word they spoke to me expressed their confusion.
Everyone is panic-stricken, wondering what His Majesty’s intentions are now.
Even though rumors spread, the assassin failed, the counter-rebellion was blocked, and many other important things, His Majesty failed to show even a trace of traceability.
"Could it be that there is a trick among us? His Majesty has a plan in mind, and he is just planning it secretly. When the time is right, he will kill us..."
"If I were to find out what he was doing, I would crush his bones into ashes. Those who trap me for one person's glory are unjust people and they really deserve to be killed!"
"Perhaps His Majesty is also thinking about countermeasures, so he has not expressed his position."
"Probably not. I paid a visit to Fan Wuwei today, hoping to get news about His Majesty from his words. However, Fan Wuwei talked about everything in heaven and on earth, and only skipped the conversation with His Majesty. There must be something fishy in it, I Let’s each do our own thing.”
Everyone was either surprised, frightened, or angry. They had heated discussions until early in the morning, but they still couldn't decide whether it was good or bad.
So everyone had their own secrets, suspected each other, and dispersed.
In the harem, Huang Hao was arranging the court uniforms for His Majesty while reporting the following:
"Your Majesty indeed has a clever plan. Recently, according to your Majesty's order, I sent people to secretly monitor the princes of Yizhou. As expected, before the curfew yesterday, the leading figures of Yizhou's families gathered together and discussed until this morning. I heard reports from people who came to the gathering. The place was brightly lit all night long, and when they dispersed, everyone looked tired.”
Li Shimin nodded with satisfaction, and then ordered: "I will retreat as usual this morning without incident. Remember, after retreating, you can invite Wang Ping, Ma Zhong, Zhang Yi, Zhang Yi, Jufu and other Yizhou generals to my office." Imperial study room.”
Huang Hao took the order, and after getting ready, the two went straight to the Qinzheng Hall.
During the morning court, Li Shimin remained silent as always, as if he was not present.
All the courtiers have not seen any orders from His Majesty in the past few days, and they all have their own doubts.
I remember that at the beginning, because of Wei Yan's incident, His Majesty showed great power in the court for several days. Nowadays, His Majesty is silent on such important matters as assassination and counterinsurgency.
"If you have something to do, report it early; if nothing happens, leave the court!"
Just when the ministers were doubting, Huang Hao announced the end of the court meeting as he had done a few days ago.
"According to His Majesty's temperament, it shouldn't be. Regardless of the rest, just the assassin matter is due tomorrow. Your Majesty should at least give a reminder today, right?"
The ministers were puzzled, but they didn't know His Majesty's thoughts, so they had no choice but to remain silent.
After resigning from the court, Li Shimin went directly to the imperial study room and waited for the arrival of the Yizhou generals.
Not long after, Huang Hao came to report that the general from Yizhou was waiting outside the study door.
After Li Shimin sat firmly on the desk, he asked everyone to see Huang Haoxuan.
Wang Ping and others took off their swords and shoes and bowed to see him.
After shouting "Long Live the Mountain", several people did not dare to stand up and only knelt down to wait for His Majesty's decree.
Li Shimin looked around at the people, but didn't find anything strange in their expressions.
After coughing slightly, Li Shimin looked serious and said in a deep voice: "Everyone, please get back on your feet."
After thanking him, several people stood up and stood in the study room. They were all worried and did not dare to sit down.
Li Shimin looked at the people again, but still didn't find any difference in their faces.
"My dear friends, this is my study, not above the court, so there is no need to be submissive."
Everyone saw that His Majesty's face was no longer serious, his tone also softened, and they felt a little calmer. Only then did he dare to sit down at the table.
"I invited you here today because I have some things to do about marching and fighting that I don't understand, and I want to ask them for advice."
Everyone saw that His Majesty's face was calm, and his tone was calm, and everyone felt at ease.
So Ma Zhong tried to reply: "I am so frightened, how dare you ask your Majesty for advice. If your Majesty has any questions, I will tell you everything I know."
Li Shimin felt the words and deeds of several Yizhou generals, and felt that it was not as unbearable as he had imagined before.
After all, they are all generals whose names are recorded in history books, so their integrity and moral character must not be too bad.
Thinking of this, Li Shimin chuckled and said, "You don't have to be like this. I'm not a man-eating tiger. You don't need to be so cautious."
Without waiting for everyone's reaction, Li Shimin continued:
"You are all our generals in Shu. In the past, you either followed the Prime Minister in the southern or northern expeditions, or you represented the imperial court to guard the key points in central Shu. I believe you all have unique insights into this matter of countering the rebellion. I would like to ask you to give your opinions today."
Several people saw His Majesty going around and around, and finally settled on countering the rebellion. They also thought that the Yizhou nobles were secretly obstructing the counter-insurgency, and each of them had their own concerns.
Wang Ping had guarded Hanzhong and contributed the most in the southern and northern expeditions, so he spoke first:
"Your Majesty is wise, I believe that countering the rebellion is feasible. But if there are no experienced veterans involved, I'm afraid it will be twice the result with half the effort."
Wang Ping's cultural level was indeed low, and what he was thinking changed when he spoke. But the general meaning is still expressed clearly.
Li Shimin just nodded and motioned for others to speak.
And Wang Ping has become the first available person in Li Shimin's mind. This kind of general who knows military affairs and cares less is indeed the most suitable candidate to win over.
The remaining people also gave their own answers to His Majesty's questions about counterinsurgency.
In general, they all supported the counter-rebellion, but they were puzzled by the fact that they did not send any local Yizhou generals there.
Li Shimin felt happy when he saw that most of them were good at fighting and loyal and brave. People with different positions can be drawn together, as long as they are not as slippery and cunning as the Yizhou civil servants in the court.
"Suppose I want to appoint a few of my beloved ministers as the chief generals, and the descendants of the senators such as Ma Cheng and Zhao Tong as deputy generals. What do you think is the success rate in countering the rebellion?"
Several people were surprised when they heard His Majesty's words. They did not expect that Your Majesty would actually have the idea of letting Yizhou generals participate in countering the rebellion.
Zhang Yi was already very worried about Liu Zhou's rebellion in the past, but now that His Majesty expressed his willingness to use the Yizhou generals to put down the rebellion, he was so excited that he hurriedly turned to his head and said:
"Since the late emperor, I have been fighting for the country, and all of them are willing to die for the country. No matter who is the leader or deputy of the barbarians, as long as the general is gone, those barbarians who do not submit to the kingship will surely surrender."
Others also echoed, emphasizing "as long as they can go" without too much entanglement about who is the leader and who is the deputy.
After hearing this, Li Shimin became even more satisfied with the people in front of him.
"I am very pleased that you are willing to give up your personal interests for the sake of the country."
Seeing His Majesty's praise, everyone hurriedly thanked him.
Li Shimin was even more satisfied when he saw that these people were all good warriors and prominent figures among the Yizhou gentry.
"If after the rebellion is suppressed, I want to launch an expedition to the north, no matter whether the time is ripe or not, will you dare to follow me out of Qishan again?"
After Li Shimin identified a few people who could be of great use, he finally stated his ultimate purpose.
Let a few people express their feelings about the Northern Expedition. To a certain extent, the Northern Expedition has become a "touchstone" for Shu Han officials to stand in line.
If you hesitate, this person will most likely be on the opposite side of you in the future. In such situations, you need to think carefully before deciding whether to win over someone.
If he agrees sincerely and quickly, this person will definitely be a target to win over.
After Li Shimin selected the criteria, he looked at the few people quietly, waiting for their final statements.
Wang Ping was the first to express his position without hesitation:
"In the past, the Battle of Hanzhong started with the late emperor. This life belongs to the late emperor, and so does your majesty. If your majesty is willing to drive, I will die as a result!"
Immediately afterwards, Ma Zhong and Zhang Yi also expressed their positions. Although they were not as passionate as Wang Ping, they were enough to reassure Li Shimin.
Although Zhang Yi did not hesitate, he advised his majesty that if the time is not ripe, things will be difficult to accomplish. He hoped that your majesty would consider the people of Sichuan as the most important thing and not take any risky actions.
Although Kufu hesitated for a moment, he finally expressed his willingness to die for his country.
Li Shimin combined the historical records he knew and observed the words and deeds of several people, and he had already understood the thoughts of several people.
Just wait until tomorrow morning to test a few people again with the assassins, and finally determine their fate.
Whether to win over and become allies, never to use them again, or to get rid of them as soon as possible... it all depends on Li Shimin's thoughts.
