diymy Chapter 49 The Crown Prince Discusses the Appearance of an Emperor, Wei Zheng Discusses Deposing the
Chapter 49 The Crown Prince Discusses the Appearance of an Emperor, Wei Zheng Discusses Deposing the
night.
The Eastern Palace.
Li Chengqian sat at his desk, holding a pen, intently drawing illustrations of bows and arrows.
He planned to design a crossbow with higher accuracy, longer range, and stronger penetration; as for the arrows, he wanted to modify the original Qin arrows to make them more lethal.
He designed many versions, but none of them have satisfied him so far.
"Your Highness, this humble servant greets you."
Li Chengqian looked up and saw Chengxin standing in front of him.
"When did you come in?"
"This humble servant has been standing here for a while. What is Your Highness drawing so intently?"
"Oh, it's nothing, just a few sketches," Li Chengqian put down his pen. "What brings you here?"
"There are a few things I need to report to you."
"Speak, what is it?"
"Su Gong has been sent to the Dali Temple."
"I know about this."
"He committed suicide."
"What? Dead?"
"Yes."
Li Chengqian couldn't sit still any longer. He stood up and paced back and forth in the hall: "You calculate, how many people have died in this period of time?"
"Four: one is the person who lied about the wooden effigy buried in the Eastern Palace, two are sailors on the Wei River, and the fourth is Su Gong."
Why did Su Gong commit suicide?
"Because he knew how formidable Dai Zhou was, he preferred to commit suicide rather than die in humiliation."
"If he fails to withstand the torture and implicates Li Tai, then if Li Tai finds out, he might have his entire family wiped out."
Li Chengqian said with his hands behind his back, "But in doing so, Su Xu and I will have an irreconcilable feud."
Chengxin bowed and said, "Your Highness, in my humble opinion, whether Su Gong lives or dies, the outcome is the same."
"What do you mean?"
"Firstly, Su Gong wanted to die on his own; it wasn't His Highness who sent someone to kill him."
Secondly, Su Xu is Li Tai's close friend. Even if Su Gong hadn't died, he wouldn't have stood on our side.
Thirdly, Su Gong attempted to sexually assault Su Wan and assassinate the prince. Furthermore, he killed the person who falsely reported the presence of a wooden effigy in the Eastern Palace. Therefore, he deserved his punishment.
Li Chengqian said solemnly, "That's true, but Su Xu definitely won't think that way. He must believe that if we hadn't captured Su Gong, Su Gong wouldn't have died."
If Su Xu had any chance of winning me over back then, he would surely hate me to the core by now.
Chengxin advised, "Since things have come to this, don't think about it too much."
Besides, if he dares to disrespect His Highness, we are not to be trifled with; let him do it.
From this moment forward, we will strengthen security at the Crown Prince's Palace to ensure His Highness's safety.
"Tell your ten Turkic warriors to be careful lately."
"I have noted it down. However, we have recently obtained some information."
"What news?"
"Li Tai secretly visited the two people with lavish gifts."
Whom did he visit?
"Changsun Wuji and Cen Wenben."
"Oh? Do you know what they said? What was their attitude?"
"Changsun Wuji remained neutral, neither agreeing nor disagreeing; Cen Wenben expressed his willingness to pledge allegiance to Li Tai."
Li Chengqian gazed in the direction of Changsun Wuji's residence: "It seems that my uncle is a smart man. He only wants to stay out of this mess and doesn't want to get involved."
"Your Highness, if I may be so bold, I feel that he seems to be quite dissatisfied with both you and Li Tai."
During his conversation with Li Tai, he mentioned Li Zhi several times, seemingly indicating that he liked Li Zhi very much.
"Oh, Wei Shan is very smart and good-looking, it's normal for Uncle to like him."
"That's not what I meant. What I meant was that Changsun Wuji seems to be considering making Li Zhi the crown prince."
"What did he say?"
"He said he could read faces and believed that Li Zhi had the appearance of a dragon and a phoenix."
Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian laughed: "Weishan is only four years old, is that possible? However, Weishan's appearance is indeed undeniably beautiful, far surpassing mine."
"Your Highness, please stop joking. What time is it? How can you still be joking?"
"So, what did Cen Wenben say?"
"He—." Chengxin hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping herself.
"Speak freely."
"Well, he thinks Your Highness doesn't have the bearing of an emperor."
He said that most of the famous monarchs in history were people with outstanding appearances. For example, Qin Shi Huang was eight feet six inches tall, had a waist seven spans in circumference, a saddle-shaped nose, long and narrow eyes, a mouth shaped like a tiger's mouth, and a protruding bone between his eyebrows. He looked dignified and very majestic.
Liu Bang had a high nose bridge, a handsome face, and a beautiful beard; it was because of this that when he was still the head of the Sishui Pavilion, Lü Gong took a liking to him and married Lü Zhi to him.
Yang Guang was also known as "Mei Ziyi" (美姿仪).
As for your father, needless to say, he was even more agile and brave.
He said, "In the great Tang Dynasty, with so many princes, how can you be made emperor?"
If envoys from the Western Regions were to come to our court, and they saw your appearance, wouldn't you be ridiculed?
Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian, who had traveled through time, thought to himself, "Cen Wenben's words are really sarcastic. In the end, he's just saying that I have a foot ailment and am not suitable to inherit the throne."
However, in the original owner's memory, Emperor Renzong of Ming, Zhu Gaochi, was obese and had a leg ailment, making it difficult for him to walk independently and often requiring assistance.
Emperor Xianfeng of the Qing Dynasty, Yizhu, also suffered an injury to his right leg and was lame.
When someone becomes emperor, doesn't he do a great job?
What, do you lose your dignity here with me?
Li Chengqian gave a wry smile: "He's right, my appearance is indeed inferior to those people."
"Your Highness, I think Cen Wenben has gone too far. In my mind, Your Highness is not only handsome, but also exceptionally intelligent. How could those common people possibly understand you?"
In my humble opinion, it would be better to cut out his tongue and feed it to the dogs.
Li Chengqian waved his hand: "There are probably tens of thousands of people in the world who say that I do not have the appearance of an emperor. Do you think I can kill them all?"
"People can say whatever they want; I'm used to hearing it all."
Chengxin bowed again: "Your Highness has a broad mind and a good attitude, which I admire greatly."
Just then, Yunjuan delivered a letter.
Li Chengqian opened the letter and found that it was sent by Ashina She'er.
The letter roughly stated that they had adopted Du Zhenglun's plan to lure the enemy deep into their territory, won a brilliant victory, captured two hundred Tuyuhun soldiers, and obtained many guns, knives, utensils, gongs, drums, and tents. They were here to report their victory.
Li Chengqian was very excited after reading it.
He thought to himself, "My father is planning to wage war against Tuyuhun. Ashina She'er has won a great victory this time. My father will surely be pleased. Perhaps he will not only pardon Ashina She'er's crime, but also promote him to a general."
"Your Highness, what's the matter? Why are you so happy?"
"Why do I look so happy?"
"Yes."
"That wouldn't be good; I should be more reserved."
Li Chengqian then recounted how Ashina She'er had won a great victory.
"Really? I didn't expect that Turk to be so formidable."
"He is quite capable," Li Chengqian nodded slightly. "Keep a close eye on the movements of Li Tai, Fang Xuanling, Cen Wenben, and Su Xu. Report any developments to me immediately."
"promise!"
morning.
Zichen Palace.
Li Shimin put down the memorial in his hand and asked Wei Zheng, "My dear minister, tell me, is it advantageous or disadvantageous to depose the eldest son in favor of the younger one?"
Upon hearing this, Wei Zheng's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "Your Majesty, how could you think such a thing?"
Li Shimin smiled and said, "You don't need to overthink it. I didn't mean anything by it. I just used bronze as a mirror to straighten my clothes and history as a mirror to understand the rise and fall of dynasties."
"I would like to know how monarchs throughout history dealt with this problem."
Upon hearing this, Wei Zheng finally felt relieved.
Wei Zheng coughed and slowly said, "Since ancient times, deposing the eldest son in favor of the youngest has been a path to chaos. Typical examples include Duke Xian of Jin, Yuan Shao, and Liu Biao."
During the Spring and Autumn Period, the State of Jin was very powerful, consisting of three families: Han, Zhao, and Wei.
Duke Xian of Jin favored Li Ji and had a son named Xi Qi with her.
Duke Xian of Jin, loving his house as well as his neighbor, also greatly admired Xi Qi.
Because of Li Ji's favor with the emperor, she harbored inappropriate thoughts and wanted her son to become the crown prince.
Therefore, Duke Xian of Jin banished Crown Prince Shen Sheng to Quwo, sent Chong'er to Puyi, and had Yi Wu reside in Quyi.
Later, Li Ji wept before Duke Xian of Jin every day. Finally, Duke Xian made up his mind. He forced Shen Sheng to commit suicide and made Xi Qi the crown prince.
When Duke Xian of Jin was dying, he was worried about Li Ji and Xi Qi.
He instructed his minister Xun Xi to protect Li Ji and Xi Qi.
However, Xun Xi was more loyal than capable.
In September, Duke Xian of Jin died, and Xi Qi was made King of Jin. In October, Li Ke and Pi Zheng killed Xi Qi; at that time, Duke Xian of Jin had not yet been buried.
Xun Xi then installed Daozi, the son of Duke Xian of Jin and Li Ji's sister, as the ruler. In November, Daozi was killed.
Xun Xi felt he had no face to face Duke Xian of Jin, so he committed suicide.
Ministers such as Li Ke planned to welcome Chong'er back to the country to succeed to the throne. However, after careful consideration, Chong'er felt that the political situation was unstable and that there would be great risks if he returned to the country. Therefore, he refused.
At that time, Yi Wu was in the state of Liang. He wrote to Duke Mu of Qin, saying that if Qin could support him to return to his country and succeed to the throne, he would cede the land west of the Yellow River to Qin.
In addition, he promised Rick that if he became the king, he would give him Fenyang.
Therefore, both Duke Mu of Qin and Li Ke supported him.
Yi Wu successfully became the ruler of the state, becoming Duke Hui of Jin.
However, he went back on his word, and all his promises were null and void.
He neither ceded land to Qin nor bestowed Fenyang upon Li Ke. On the contrary, fearing that Chong'er and Li Ke would conspire against him, he used the pretext of avenging his two dead brothers to force Li Ke to his death. Then, he killed all seven ministers.
Duke Hui of Jin was an immoral person.
When the State of Jin suffered a natural disaster, the State of Qin provided them with assistance.
Later, when Qin suffered a locust plague, Duke Mu of Qin sent an envoy to Jin for help. However, Duke Hui of Jin not only refused to help Qin, but also planned to take advantage of Qin's weakness to attack it, forgetting the friendship Qin had shown him in the past.
Duke Mu of Qin was a wise and capable ruler. Was the Qin state so easy to conquer?
Duke Hui of Jin not only suffered a defeat but was also captured. He was only released because his sister, who was married to Duke Mu of Qin, pleaded on his behalf.
After returning to his country, Duke Hui of Jin was filled with resentment and anger, and soon died.
Prince Yu was a hostage in Qin at the time. Upon hearing this, he secretly fled back to Qin, succeeded to the throne, and became Duke Huai of Jin.
His abrupt departure angered Duke Mu of Qin.
Duke Mu of Qin intended to support Chong'er's return to the country to become the ruler.
Duke Huai of Jin killed Hu Tu, which stirred up another hornet's nest.
Duke Mu of Qin sent troops to escort Chong'er back to his country, and Duke Huai of Jin was killed by his ministers.
In short, for fifteen years after Duke Xian of Jin's death, the state of Jin was in constant turmoil; of his five sons, four died, and his grandson Yu also perished.
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin sighed, "If the State of Jin hadn't experienced internal strife, how could the State of Qin have been able to unify the world?"
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Let's talk about Yuan Shao again.
Yuan Shao had three sons: Yuan Tan, Yuan Xi, and Yuan Shang.
Yuan Shao sent Yuan Tan to Qingzhou, Yuan Xi to Youzhou, and his nephew Gao Gan to Bingzhou. However, his favorite son was his youngest son, whom he kept by his side in Jizhou.
Of these four states, Ji State is undoubtedly the strongest.
Yuan Shao thought Yuan Shang was handsome and looked like himself, which was one of the reasons why Yuan Shao wanted to depose the eldest son and establish the younger one in favor of him.
Secondly, although Yuan Tan was very capable, he had already been adopted by Yuan Ji.
Secondly, the senior official Shen Pei supported Yuan Shang;
Based on the above three points, Yuan Shao appointed Yuan Shang as his successor before his death.
As a result, Yuan Tan, Yuan Xi, and Yuan Shang fought each other. Soon after, Yuan Tan died, and Yuan Shang also died, which gave Cao Cao an opportunity. Cao Cao defeated them one by one and finally unified the north.
On the surface, Yuan Shao was defeated by Cao Cao's military prowess, but in reality, he was defeated by internal strife.
From this, we can conclude that internal strife is more terrifying than external enemies.
Li Shimin nodded: "If brothers are not on good terms, they will surely be bullied by outsiders."
"During the Three Kingdoms period, the world was in chaos, but Jingzhou remained peaceful and was not ravaged by war."
Liu Biao was stationed in Jingzhou, commanding hundreds of thousands of troops and a powerful navy, which made Cao Cao wary of him.
Liu Biao had two sons. His eldest son, born to his principal wife, was named Liu Qi, and his second son, born to Lady Cai, was named Liu Cong.
He felt that although his eldest son was wise, he was too weak and incompetent, while his second son, Liu Cong, was naturally intelligent. Moreover, the Cai family was a prominent family in Jingzhou with great power.
When Liu Biao was dying, he ordered Liu Qi to garrison troops in Jiangxia, but made Liu Cong his successor.
Cao Cao saw this as an opportunity and led his army south.
Cai Mao was a brave but reckless man who had always been afraid of Cao Cao. When he saw Cao Cao leading a large army, he immediately advocated surrendering before the battle even started. Liu Cong was too young to make the decision, so he had no choice but to let him do as he pleased.
Soon after, Cao Cao sent men to kill Liu Cong, and Jingzhou fell into Cao Cao's hands.
If Liu Biao had made Liu Qi his successor, how could things have turned out this way?
"When the ruler is young, the country moves; this has always been the case."
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin sighed deeply, "Liu Biao was foolish to give away such a valuable province as Jingzhou to Cao Cao for nothing."
"Yes, according to common sense, we should at least fight two battles first, and it's not too late to surrender if we can't win."
Look at Sun Quan, he was young and had few troops, but the Eastern Wu refused to surrender and finally defeated Cao Cao's 830,000-strong army at the Battle of Red Cliffs.
"What you say is very true, my dear minister. The determination and courage of a ruler are of utmost importance."
"Your Majesty is wise!"
"So, have there been any successful cases of deposing the eldest son in favor of a younger one?"
Wei Zheng was puzzled, because he didn't know what Li Shimin meant by asking that question.
Since the emperor had already asked, he thought for a moment and said, "Yes, there are. Typical examples are Liu Qi, Liu Che, and Liu Xiu."
Emperor Jing of Han, Liu Qi, had an empress named Empress Bo, who was personally chosen for him by Empress Dowager Bo. However, for some reason, he did not like Empress Bo, and Empress Bo did not bear any children.
Therefore, Emperor Jing of Han made his eldest son by a concubine, Liu Rong, the crown prince.
Liu Rong's mother, Consort Li, was jealous by nature and very immature;
She thought that her son's position as crown prince was very secure, and she naively believed that she would definitely become empress in the future.
Princess Guantao wanted to marry her daughter Chen Ajiao to Liu Rong, but because Princess Guantao introduced many beauties to the emperor's harem, Consort Li was very angry.
She immediately rejected the marriage proposal.
This greatly angered Princess Guantao, so she turned her attention to the tenth prince, Liu Zhi.
She and Wang Zhi joined forces to deal with Consort Li.
Princess Guantao was Emperor Jing of Han's elder sister. She spoke ill of Consort Li in front of the emperor every day, and over time, Emperor Jing of Han also grew to dislike Consort Li.
After several investigations, Emperor Jing of Han discovered that Liu Rong's abilities were indeed far inferior to Liu Zhi's.
Finally, Emperor Jing of Han made up his mind to depose Liu Rong. At that time, many ministers in the court opposed it, including Zhou Yafu and Dou Ying.
However, Emperor Jing of Han remained unmoved and resolutely deposed Liu Rong, demoting him to the Prince of Linjiang. At the same time, he also deposed Consort Li.
Liu Rong himself had his own way of courting death. After being demoted to the Prince of Linjiang, he did not restrain himself. On the contrary, he continued to carry out large-scale construction projects, building palaces and occupying the land of the ancestral temple.
Emperor Jing of Han was furious about this and ordered the cruel official Zhi Du to handle the case. Who was Zhi Du? Liu Rong was in prison and wanted to submit a memorial to the emperor, but Zhi Du refused.
Therefore, Liu Rong committed suicide.
In other words, Emperor Jing of Han forced his own son to commit suicide.
To ensure Liu Zhi's smooth succession to the throne, Emperor Jing of Han forced Zhou Yafu to commit suicide.
Because he felt that Zhou Yafu was very stubborn and worried that Zhou Yafu would be a threat to the Crown Prince in the future, he found a reason to imprison him.
Unable to endure the harassment from those petty clerks, Zhou Yafu went on a five-day hunger strike and died.
Not only that, Emperor Jing of Han had previously killed his own teacher, Chao Cuo.
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin was deeply moved: "So, Emperor Jing of Han was a harsh and ungrateful ruler."
"Yes, Emperor Jing of Han was one of the few rational monarchs in history."
Emperor Wu of Han was also a ruthless emperor.
At the time, he and Wei Zifu were very much in love. When their eldest son Liu Ju was born, Emperor Wu of Han was overjoyed and ordered his ministers Dongfang Shuo and Mei Cheng to compose poems to celebrate.
When Lady Wei Zi grew old and lost her beauty, Emperor Wu of Han favored other women, such as Lady Wang and Lady Li.
With Wei Qing's death, Liu Ju's status plummeted.
In his later years, Emperor Wu of Han fell in love with Lady Gouyi, and they had a son named Liu Fuling.
Emperor Wu of Han deposed Liu Ju and installed the young Liu Fuling as crown prince. At the same time, he executed Lady Gouyi, which is the famous historical precedent of "establishing the son and killing the mother."
Li Shimin raised his eyebrows: "It seems that Emperor Jing of Han and Emperor Wu of Han, father and son, are quite comparable, each more ruthless than the other."