"Sister is not lying! I think so too!" Li Suwen said: "The Dinglin Temple has more than 2,000 monks and more than 20,000 monk households. It has countless manors, docks, and shops under its jurisdiction. Every year, it only collects The tax revenue is nearly 400,000 yuan. Such a large temple is managed by us sisters. There are no parents-in-law above us and no sisters-in-law around us to tell us what to do. Which married sister can compare to us?"
"This -, this -!" Li Hong said with a bitter smile: "No matter what, sisters must have children, right? Otherwise, it will be a pity in the future when you grow old and have no one to live with!"
"Your Majesty, please rest assured!" Li Xiayu said with a smile: "I have many lovely children around me. Even if I remain unmarried in the future, I will not feel any regrets!"
"A lot of cute children?" Li Hong was stunned and asked subconsciously: "Sister, you are not married, where do you get the children around you?"
"Of course it belongs to Wang Wenzuo!" Li Suwen subconsciously said. As soon as she said the words, she realized that she had said the wrong thing. Faced with the looks from Li Hong and Li Zhi, she subconsciously covered her mouth.
"Things are not what you think!" When Li Xiayu saw this, he knew that his father and brother had misunderstood, and explained: "Those children are indeed Wang Wenzuo's, but they were born to women from Baekje and Japan, and from me. It has nothing to do with it!"
Li Zhi and his son exchanged glances. They were not surprised that Wang Wenzuo had a child with a Baekje Japanese woman. After all, he had been in the army for eleven years since he followed Su Dingfang across the sea to destroy Baekje, and he was officially married. That happened two or three years ago. For such a healthy man who was in his prime and had been fighting in the field all year round, having several children with local women was not an excessive thing according to the moral standards of the warriors at that time. Not to mention that Wang Wenzuo did not pick up his pants and leave after playing. Raising children is far beyond the moral average of ancient warriors. But the current problem is that Li Xiayu takes care of the children for Wang Wenzuo, which is quite intriguing——
Generally speaking, this is something that only men and women with a very broad mind would do, but Li Xiayu said that she had nothing to do with Wang Wenzuo.
"Xiayu!" Li Zhi coughed: "What are your plans when you come back this time? As a father, you also owe a lot. If you want something, there is nothing in the world that our Li family can't get. Not much! Isn’t it? Hong’er?”
"That's right!" Li Hong responded quickly: "Sister, please speak frankly. As long as I can do it, I will definitely not refuse!"
Mentioning the promise made by the Li family and his son, Li Xiayu's eyes flashed and he said with a smile: "Listening to what Aye and Adi said, I really have two things that I don't want, but I'm just a little afraid of getting into trouble!"
"Trouble?" Li Zhi heard this and said with a smile: "How can one family talk about two different families? Hong'er, is this your biological sister?"
"Sister, please don't worry!" Li Hong said with a smile: "I have just said that as long as it is within my ability, I will not refuse!"
"Your Majesty is rich all over the world, you can definitely do it!" Li Xiayu smiled: "In that case, I will boldly say it: the first thing I ask for is to tell the world, so that my mother's deeds can be cleared up! "
"This -" Li Hong's face changed slightly, and his eyes subconsciously turned to Li Zhi's face. He thought that his sister had already fallen in love with Wang Wenzuo, so she had not been married for so many years, and she also raised those children for Wang Wenzuo as a sustenance, so he knew clearly Sister Li Xiayu has not been married in these years, and she pretends not to know and comes to inquire about the details, so that the topic can be brought up, so that her sister can talk and facilitate a good thing, but she does not want it to backfire. To put it bluntly, the Sui and Tang dynasties were still a feudal dynasty with a strong aristocratic atmosphere. The so-called aristocracy means that the power you have is related to your bloodline and surname, rather than ability or merit. Although Wang Wenzuo is also known as the Langya Wang family, the prominent Jiangzuo family has long since declined in the Sui and Tang dynasties where Guan Long was the lord. If he could marry one of the Li Xiayu sisters and become a real "family", then Wang Wenzuo would The legitimacy of the official position and power will undoubtedly be greatly improved.
Hearing his daughter's request, Li Zhi was also a little surprised. He hesitated for a moment and nodded: "I did not handle your mother's affairs in a bad way, but she is dead and cannot be resurrected. She can only restore her original surname. What do you think about bringing back your exiled relatives?"
"Thank you Aye!" Li Xiayu bowed and paid homage. She knew in her heart that Li Zhi was avoiding the light and taking the easy, but she never thought that the first meeting would turn the world upside down - after all these years, After experience, she is no longer the young girl she was before. She knows that some things must be done step by step. ,
"Sister just said there are two things! What about one more thing?" Li Hong said with a smile.
"Your Majesty, do you still remember Li Sujie?" Li Xiayu asked.
"Li Sujie?" Li Hong repeated the name. His memory was good, and his expression suddenly turned ugly: "Sister, are you talking about your brother?"
"Not bad!" Li Xiayu smiled: "I don't think you still remember him? He was imprisoned and then hanged himself inexplicably. My second thing is to find out the matter and let him know. My poor brother knows how to die!" After saying this, Li Xiayu stood up and knelt down to Li Hong, with his forehead close to the ground. Seeing this, Li Suwen also knelt down.
"This -" Li Hong sighed subconsciously. Compared with when he and Wang Wenzuo met the two sisters in prison in Yeting Palace, he had grown up a lot. Of course, he knew that Li Sujie's death must have an inextricable relationship with his mother, but at this time, he also knew that there was no right or wrong in this kind of palace struggle, only success or failure. If it was Concubine Xiao Shu who won instead of Empress Wu, then she would probably be the one who died in prison, not Li Sujie. Li Xiayu and Li Suwen are women and cannot threaten their throne. It is okay to sympathize with them. However, it is not kind but stupid to sympathize with competitors like Li Sujie who may threaten their throne.
As the saying goes, a son is better than his father. How could Li Zhi not see Li Hong's embarrassment? He coughed: "Xiayu, Suwen, don't make things difficult for Hong'er. If you want to blame Sujie for everything, blame it all on him." Father! Let’s do this! Let the court posthumously confer Li Sujie the title of King Xu, posthumously present him with the Third Division of Kaifu Yitong and the Governor of Xuzhou, and bury him next to my father’s mausoleum. How about that?”
"Sure enough, even Ahong can't stand on our side!" Although she had already been mentally prepared, Li Xiayu still had a trace of sadness on her face that was close to the ground. She sighed secretly: "In this case, That’s all it can do!”
Seeing that his sister did not insist, Li Hong breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "Okay, I will issue an edict tomorrow. My two sisters, please stay in the Daming Palace for the time being, and we will give you a house in the city after a while!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
After finally dealing with Li Xiayu's two demands, Li Zhi, Li Hong and his son seemed to have received amnesty, and they no longer dared to mention their daughter's marriage, for fear of causing further trouble. After chatting for a while, Li Xiayu and Li Suwen were sent away. The two of them breathed a sigh of relief, and Li Hong smiled bitterly: "My son originally wanted to arrange a good marriage for his sister, but in the end he didn't say anything at all. It's really useless!"
"I can't blame you!" Li Zhi sighed: "It's all my father's fault that led to these injustices!"
"Is it your fault?" Li Hong was stunned when he heard this: "Why is this your fault? Fights in the palace have been common since ancient times, right?"
"Fights are fights, but it doesn't happen very often!" Li Zhi sighed: "Forget it, when you were still young, there were some things I couldn't say to you. Now that you are the master of the world, some things just You can explain it clearly. If you must blame your two sisters for ending up in the situation they are in today, then it can only be blamed on me!"
"On your head?"
"Do you think that Ah Wu did these things, but you blame me?" Li Zhi smiled bitterly: "Let's put it this way! The things that Ah Wu did were originally allowed by me, or I allowed it to be indulged!"
"Did you allow it?" Li Hong was surprised. In his impression, Li Zhi was kind to others. When he first pleaded for mercy for his two sisters, Li Zhi immediately agreed. It was his mother who had always been opposed to Xiao Shufei. The convicting and execution of Li Sujie were probably done by the mother.
"Yes!" Li Zhi nodded: "What you said just now is right. Since ancient times, it is true that competition between concubines and concubines has occurred in every dynasty and every generation. It is normal for the winner to deal with the loser, but today it is like this But there are not many who have a lot of land. This is not because the concubines in other eras are more generous and soft-hearted than Awu, but because they can't do it!"
"Can't do it?"
"Yes!" Li Zhi nodded: "It is the nature of women to be jealous. There are so many women in the harem, but they can only serve one person. If you look up to him, you will reach the sky, if you look down on him, you will fall to the ground. How can we not compete with each other and look at each other? If you are an enemy, you will definitely be put to death. The reason why a situation can still be maintained is that the power of life and death is in the hands of others. Therefore, since ancient times, as long as the harem women can take control of the power, they will definitely deal with their former opponents. A killer is merciless and his attacks are so vicious that few men can match him, as evidenced by Empress Lu and Dugu Jialuo!"
"That's right!" Li Hong nodded. Needless to say, Empress Lu was mentioned by Li Zhi. Although Dugu Jialuo was known as a virtuous empress in history books, he was also known for being jealous, and because his father Dugu Xin was one of the eight pillar states of the Western Wei Dynasty and had a high prestige among the Guanlong gentry. Yang Jian was able to usurp the Yuwen family and establish the Sui Dynasty because of her help. Therefore, Dugu Jialuo can be said to be unparalleled in the harem. Many of Yang Jian's favorite concubines were killed by Dugu Jialuo, and there were even pregnant women among them who were pregnant with Yang Jian's children.
"Hong'er, you also know that my father suffers from wind disease. He suffers from unbearable headaches when he is even slightly overworked and is unable to handle state affairs! So he had to leave many things to your mother. As time went by, she gained power in her hands. A group of villains also surrounded her and did many shameful things! But no matter what, since I am the master of the world, these things must be blamed on me in the final analysis, just like Concubine Shu, Li Sujie and others, Although I didn't kill Boren, Boren died because of me! How can I shirk it?"
Seeing Li Zhi's sad expression, Li Hong wanted to offer words of comfort, but didn't know how to speak. At this time, Li Zhi smiled bitterly and said: "Hong'er, as a father, I don't want to get any comfort from you when I tell you this. I can roughly predict the consequences of handing over power to your mother. There is no such thing as the best of both worlds in this world, only the lesser of two harms! Now that you have taken this position, some You can’t be too naive at times, understand?”
"I understand, kid!" Li Hong nodded. He could feel the weight of Li Zhi's words and suddenly felt that the burden on his shoulders was a little heavier.
"Just understand!" Li Zhi sighed: "Everyone in the world hopes that a kind person will become the emperor, thinking that he will be a blessing to all people, but they don't know that if he can only do good things and not do bad things, such a person cannot be a good emperor. Yes. Hong'er, you have to sit in that position and there is still one last hurdle to pass!"
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After leaving Qinghui Pavilion, Li Hong's father's last sigh was still lingering in his ears. He could feel the complexity and weight of his father's sigh. Maybe his sigh was not just for himself, but more for Li Zhi. myself. Also, what is the "last hurdle" that my father talks about? Family affection, or something else? Li Hong couldn't help but be a little confused for a moment!
"His Majesty!"
"What's going on?" Li Hong raised his head and looked out of Chengyu's window.
"The imperial edict from Zhongshu Sheren has been prepared. Can your Majesty please take a look?" The eunuch outside presented the imperial edict.
"Edict?" Li Hong suddenly remembered that his younger brother Li Xian took charge of water transportation and built the Lishan Palace. Before going to the Daming Palace, he originally wanted to mention these two things to Li Zhi, but he didn't want to forget them. I couldn't help but slap the armrest in frustration.
The eunuch chamberlain outside thought that he had done something wrong to offend the emperor, so he quickly knelt on the ground and said repeatedly: "Death penalty, death penalty!"
Looking at the palace maid and eunuch kneeling on the ground, Li Hong suddenly felt irritated. Now he finally truly understood what it meant to be a "little man". Even though he had unparalleled power, he could be rich or poor with just one order. Whether it's life or death, everything depends on one's own dimensions. However, the consequences of exercising power can only be borne by oneself, even if those consequences were not intentional or even the result of being used by others. Just like what my father just said: If I don’t kill Boren, Boren will die because of me! So how many "Boren" were killed because of themselves? If I continue to sit down in that position, how many "Bo Ren" will die by my own hands?
Thinking of this, Li Hong felt like the world was spinning, and the whole sky was pressing down on him, so much so that he couldn't even breathe. He wanted to pull open his clothes so that he could breathe more easily, but he accidentally cut his waist The jade pendant fell to the ground and shattered into pieces. The eunuch who was kneeling on the ground was startled. He quickly got up and saw the emperor's face pale, lying on his back in the chariot. He quickly said: "Quick, call the imperial doctor!"
It’s true that the punches never leave the hands, and the music never leaves the mouth. After four days of not writing, my hands produced a lot of things!
(End of chapter)
