My father, Li Shimin, requests Your Majesty to become the Retired Emperor.

Chapter 47 Li Shimin: Old Wei, you've passed the buck to me again?

Zichen Palace.

Li Shimin was sitting at his desk reviewing memorials, with Wei Zheng standing beside him.

Li Shimin looked up at him: "My dear minister!"

"Your humble servant is here!"

"Could you tell me why the Sui Dynasty fell?"

"Your Majesty, I am eager to hear your wise words!"

Ok?

Li Shimin thought to himself that this old Taoist priest was getting more and more cunning. He had passed the ball to him, but the priest had passed it back to him.

Li Shimin put down the memorial in his hand, stood up, and paced back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back. Then, he cleared his throat and said, "Emperor Wen of Sui was a bit unethical. He seized the throne from Yuwen Chan of Northern Zhou and became emperor himself. You should know that Yuwen Chan was his 'grandson'."

Wei Zheng stroked his beard and said, "In history, there are many similar cases. Take Zhao Wang Sima Lun for example. He was the ninth son of Sima Yi and was born to Sima Yi's most beloved Lady Bai. Sima Shi and Sima Zhao were his elder brothers. In other words, he was Sima Zhong's great-uncle."

Sima Zhong was too honest and kind, and Empress Jia Nanfeng had the final say, but the empress had no children.

She falsely accused Crown Prince Sima Yu of treason, took the opportunity to depose him, and then killed him.

Jia Nanfeng went a bit too far by doing this.

Jia Nanfeng's ruthlessness aroused the dissatisfaction of the Sima princes in the court.

So, Sima Lun took the opportunity of avenging the crown prince to break into the palace, poison Jia Nanfeng, and force Sima Zhong to abdicate in his favor.

Sima Lun then became emperor.

Li Shimin nodded: "Emperor Wen of Sui was a very diligent emperor after he established the Sui Dynasty."

His greatest strength is his ability to manage money.

It is said that his ability to accumulate wealth surpassed that of any monarch in history.

Under Emperor Wen of Sui's rule, the Sui Dynasty quickly accumulated a large amount of wealth, and the granaries were already full, with nowhere left to store the grain.

Logically, Emperor Wen of Sui left Yang Guang a vast and beautiful land. However, after Yang Guang ascended the throne, he indulged in excessive tours, built Luoyang, Xianren Palace, and the Great Wall, constructed roads, and dug the Grand Canal. Coupled with year-round wars and constant military campaigns against neighboring countries, the people were not at peace, the national treasury became increasingly empty, and the three campaigns against Goguryeo all ended in failure. Finally, internal and external troubles followed one after another. Yuwen Huaji rebelled and killed Yang Guang, thus leading to the demise of the Sui Dynasty.

The same was true of the Qin Dynasty. After Ying Zheng died, Hu Hai ascended the throne, becoming the Second Emperor of Qin.

However, Hu Hai indulged in wine and women all day long, neglecting state affairs and entrusting all important matters of the court to Zhao Gao. Zhao Gao pointed at a deer and called it a horse, causing chaos in the court and plunging the whole country into a state of disorder. Soon after, the Chen Sheng and Wu Guang uprising broke out.

Immediately afterwards, Xiang Liang and his nephew Xiang Yu raised an army, and Liu Bang, who had been a mere village head, transformed into the Duke of Pei and joined the uprising.

Finally, Huhai was killed by Zhao Gao, and the Qin Dynasty perished as a result.

Upon hearing this, Wei Zheng smiled and said, "In my humble opinion, Your Majesty is only half right."

"Oh? I was only half right?"

"Yes."

"So, what about your other half?"

Li Shimin was somewhat unconvinced upon hearing this, thinking to himself that what he said was all true and there was nothing wrong with it.

Wei Zheng strode about, shaking his head, and slowly said, "In my humble opinion, the fundamental reason why the Qin and Sui dynasties perished was that Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wen of Sui failed to recognize talent."

"What do you mean by that, my dear minister?"

"Your Majesty, please consider this: Fusu is benevolent and wise, but Ying Zheng thinks he is in good health and has been delaying in making Fusu the crown prince, and is still touring around."

He considered Li Si and Zhao Gao to be loyal ministers, and during his tours, he took them along with Hu Hai to his side.

Unexpectedly, he died of illness in Shaqiu, which allowed Li Si and Zhao Gao to take advantage of the situation, alter the imperial edict, order the death of Fusu, and install Huhai as the Second Emperor of Qin.

Does this mean that Ying Zheng bears no responsibility for the downfall of the Qin Dynasty?

If he had made Fusu the crown prince earlier, or if he hadn't needed Li Si and Zhao Gao, would those later events have happened?

People often say that the Qin Dynasty was destroyed by Hu Hai's reckless behavior. So, we can't help but ask, how did Hu Hai's character develop?

Hu Hai's teacher was Zhao Gao. With a teacher like that, how could Hu Hai possibly become outstanding?

This raises another question: who chose Hu Hai's teacher?

"That would naturally be Ying Zheng."

"Yes, back then, Meng Yi wanted to punish Zhao Gao to death according to the law, but Ying Zheng intervened and pardoned Zhao Gao."

If he hadn't intervened, Zhao Gao would have been dead long ago;

With Zhao Gao dead, none of the subsequent events would have occurred.

Therefore, the fundamental reason for the downfall of Qin was that Ying Zheng failed to recognize talent; he did not see that Zhao Gao was neither a loyal minister nor a good teacher.

Li Shimin remained silent.

"As for Emperor Wen of Sui, his former crown prince Yang Yong, although not particularly capable, was a very good ruler who maintained the status quo."

Imagine if Yang Yong had succeeded to the throne, would he have been able to cause as much trouble as Emperor Yang of Sui?

In my humble opinion, this is unlikely.

As long as it doesn't cause trouble, the Sui Dynasty won't have perished so quickly.

Unfortunately, Emperor Wen of Sui listened to the nonsense spouted by Yang Su and others and changed the crown prince to Yang Guang.

If Yang Yong had become emperor, would Your Majesty be able to stand here and speak with me today?

In my humble opinion, that may not be the case.

Emperor Wen of Sui, as the founding emperor, failed to see his son clearly.

Yang Guang outwardly obeyed but inwardly defied the emperor, bribing the brothers Yang Su and Yang Yue with promises of official positions and trying to win over ministers such as Zhang Heng and Yuwen Shu.

However, Emperor Wen of Sui was unaware of these things.

Yang Guang was a man who was very good at disguising himself. He had many desires, but in order to cater to his mother’s dislike of princes taking concubines, he sent all the concubines in the palace away, creating the illusion that he favored Empress Xiao alone.

Empress Dugu was satisfied with his performance, but thought Yang Yong was improper in his conduct.

Actually, this matter should be viewed from two perspectives: the more concubines a prince has, the more offspring he will have; the fewer concubines he has, the fewer offspring he will have.

Yang Guang had only three sons: Yang Zhao, Yang Jian, and Yang Gao. Yang Zhao died young, leaving Yang Guang without an heir, which was one of the reasons for the fall of the Sui Dynasty.

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin nodded slightly.

Wei Zheng continued, "Therefore, the most important thing for a monarch is to have a pair of sharp eyes, to be able to see clearly who among his ministers is loyal and who is treacherous, to know the strengths and weaknesses of each prince, and who is capable of taking on great responsibilities."

Liu Bang was a man who was good at recognizing talent. He made good use of Zhang Liang, Xiao He and Han Xin, who were known as the "Three Heroes of the Early Han Dynasty". Xiang Yu had Fan Zeng, but he could not use him. Therefore, Liu Bang was able to win the world.

When Liu Bang was dying, Empress Lü asked him, "After Prime Minister Xiao's death, who should be appointed?"

He said to use Cao Shen;

Empress Lü then asked him, "After Cao Shen's death, who should be employed?"

He said, "Zhou Bo and Chen Ping, and that the one who will bring peace to the Liu family's empire will surely be Zhou Bo."

Subsequent events proved that Liu Bang's prediction was entirely correct;

Liu Bang was a man who understood his ministers very well, but he failed to see his son and Empress Lü clearly.

After he became the King of Han, he made Liu Ying the crown prince. This was a bit premature. Later, he felt that Liu Ying was too weak and unlike himself, so he wanted to change the crown prince.

He felt that Liu Ruyi, born to Lady Qi, resembled him. He loved Lady Qi, and by extension, he loved Liu Ruyi as well, often holding Liu Ruyi in his arms.

Therefore, he considered making Liu Ruyi the crown prince.

However, he was easily swayed and lacked the decisiveness of Emperor Jing and Emperor Wu of Han, so he failed to accomplish this task and ultimately caused the deaths of Consort Qi and Liu Ruyi.

In fact, among Liu Bang's eight sons, the most capable was the fourth prince, Liu Heng. However, Liu Bang did not realize this at the time.

He thought Empress Lü was utterly loyal, but he never imagined that fifteen years after his death, she would seize power and nearly usurp the Liu family's throne. He failed to see this clearly; isn't that tragic?

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin remarked with emotion: "Liu Bang was a man who could be ruthless to outsiders, but couldn't bring himself to harm his own empress and princes."

"Your Majesty is absolutely right!"

Emperor Wu of Han appointed Wei Qing and gradually promoted him from a stable boy for Princess Pingyang to the supervisor of Jianzhang Palace. Later, he even tried to send him to lead troops to conquer the Xiongnu.

Wei Qing won seven battles in a row and finally became a great general.

Huo Qubing was young and brave. In the end, he drank from the vast sea and sealed the wolf's lair, setting a benchmark for generals throughout the land. He was almost unparalleled before and after him, and no one could surpass his achievements.

Emperor Wu of Han appointed Huo Guang, Jin Midi, Gongsun Hong, Ji An and other ministers. During Emperor Wu's reign, many famous generals and talented people emerged, which enabled Emperor Wu to launch a northern expedition against the Xiongnu and further expand the territory of the Han Dynasty.

Later, he favored Lady Li and gave important positions to her brother, Li Guangli, hoping that he could achieve military exploits like Wei Qing and be ennobled.

But can Li Guangli compare to Wei Qing?

Emperor Wu of Han neglected state affairs due to personal affection, entrusting tens of thousands of troops to Li Guangli to fight against the Xiongnu, which resulted in heavy losses for the Han army.

In his later years, Emperor Wu of Han favored Jiang Chong. Who was Jiang Chong?

Jiang Chong was a complete scoundrel who plotted to frame Liu Ju, claiming that Liu Ju had buried a wooden figure in the Eastern Palace to curse the emperor. Emperor Wu of Han, unable to distinguish the truth from the falsehood, believed it to be true.

This forced Liu Ju to rebel.

Liu Ju committed suicide after his defeat.

Emperor Wu of Han could not see through Jiang Chong, nor could he see through his own son. Doesn't this make one think deeply?

If he had killed Jiang Chong earlier, or if he had firmly believed that his son would not rebel, would Liu Ju have died?

Therefore, in his later years, he issued an edict of self-reproach and built the Palace of Remembrance.

"Cao Cao was a man who could recognize talent. He appointed civil officials such as Guo Jia, Xun Yu, Xun You, Cheng Yu, and Jia Xu, and promoted generals such as Xu Chu, Zhang Liao, Xu Huang, Li Dian, Zhang He, Cao Ren, and Xiahou Dun. In the Battle of Guandu, he used Xu You's plan to burn Yuan Shao's granary at Wuchao, achieving a victory against overwhelming odds and unifying the north."

When Sima Yi arrived, Cao Shuang failed to see Sima Yi's wolfish ambitions, which allowed the Sima family to gradually rise to power. Ultimately, Sima Yi launched the Incident at Gaoping Tombs, defeated Cao Shuang, and seized power.

Sima Yi's grandson, Sima Yan, established the Jin Dynasty.

If Cao Cao had seen through Sima Yi's true nature earlier and exiled or killed him, would those later events have occurred?

Will the Cao Wei dynasty perish?

The rulers Ying Zheng, Liu Bang, Liu Che, Cao Cao, and Yang Jian mentioned above were all considered wise rulers. However, they still failed to see the true nature of those around them, and Ying Zheng, Yang Jian, and Cao Cao even lost their kingdoms because of this.

This shows that the most difficult thing for a monarch is recognizing talent.

Li Shimin was deeply moved by Wei Zheng's words.

He remained silent for a long time before asking, "Then, my dear minister, who do you think is a loyal minister and who is a treacherous minister among my ministers?"

"Among my sons, who is the most virtuous?"

"Your Majesty's mind is as clear as a mirror, and your understanding is as sharp as fire; why then ask your humble servant?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin was furious, thinking to himself that this old Taoist priest was becoming increasingly unreliable and was just trying to evade his concerns.

Just then, Li Tai entered from outside the palace gate, prostrated himself on the ground, and cried out, "Father!"

Li Shimin looked down at him and said, "Get up."

"Thank you, Father Emperor!"

"What brings you to see me?"

"Your Majesty, I have come here today to discuss something with you."

"What is it?"

"This—." Li Tai hesitated, seeing Wei Zheng present.

"There are no outsiders here, so please feel free to speak."

"Yes! That's right. Your Majesty, I think that Fang Yi'ai and Princess Gaoyang are a perfect match, a match made in heaven. I intend to betroth Princess Gaoyang to Fang Yi'ai. I humbly request Your Majesty's permission."

"Oh?" Li Shimin hadn't expected Li Tai to bring this up. He paused for a moment, then said, "Gao Yang is about your age. Isn't it a bit premature to bring this up now?"

"Your subject believes it is not too early. When Father Emperor and Mother Empress got married, Father Emperor was sixteen and Mother Empress was thirteen..."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin thought to himself, "Damn this kid, he just throws out whatever comes to mind, he's even revealed my secrets." But, he couldn't say that what he said was wrong.

"Ahem, ahem," Li Shimin coughed twice, signaling him to stop talking. "Fang Xuanling is the Prime Minister, so he and our family are quite well-matched. Have they met? Are they willing to go?"

"Reporting to Father Emperor, the two of them have already met, and they are both willing."

"Is that so? In that case, I grant your permission for this marriage."

"Thank you for your kindness, Father," Li Tai bowed again, "However, there is one thing I must inform you of."

Tell me about it.

"Gao Yang demanded that Fang Xuanling promise to pass on the title to Fang Yi'ai in the future."

Li Shimin frowned, then turned to Wei Zheng and asked, "My dear minister, do you think this is feasible?"

Wei Zheng bowed and said frankly, "Your Majesty, I believe this matter is absolutely unacceptable."

Historically, ministerial titles were passed down to the eldest son. Fang Xuanling's eldest son was Fang Yizhi, while Fang Yi'ai, being the second son, was ineligible to inherit the title.

Upon hearing this, Li Tai's face turned red with anxiety. He glared at Wei Zheng, cursing inwardly, "Old Master Wei, will you die if you don't speak?"

If Fang Yi'ai cannot inherit the title, then the marriage will fall through, which means that his plan to consolidate his relationship with Fang Xuanling will fail.

"Taylor, did you hear me?"

"Your subject heard it."

Li Shimin looked out of the palace gate and sighed, "Why does Gaoyang have to be so domineering?"

Is it possible that the wealth I gave her is not enough for her expenses?

Wouldn't her actions create conflict between the brothers Fang Yi'ai and Fang Yizhi?

"Gao Yang is still young and may not understand etiquette. I will go and guide her later."

"Yeah, this girl doesn't even think before she speaks, it's really outrageous."

Li Tai had no choice but to give up when he saw that his father did not agree to the marriage. Fortunately, his father did not object to the marriage.

night.

In Fang Yi'ai's room.

He hadn't drunk any alcohol for three days, nor had he touched any woman.

Ever since he met Princess Gaoyang, he has been obsessed with her day and night.

He felt suffocated and said to Qiu Tianjiao, "Go tell the kitchen to prepare some dishes, all meat, and we'll have a couple of drinks."

"That won't do. Qin Yong has already said that you are not allowed to drink alcohol or get close to women for a month."

"A month is too long. I feel like every day is an eternity."

"You need to take care of your health. A month isn't a long time. It's not too late to drink alcohol after you've fully recovered," Qiu Tianjiao said softly.

"You can't believe everything the doctors say; they always like to exaggerate and scare people. I'm really hungry."

"Okay then, I'll go get you something to eat."

Qiu Tianjiao turned and left after saying that.

However, when she brought out a bowl of braised pork, a plate of braised duck, a pot of stewed black-boned chicken, and a pot of delicacies from the kitchen, she discovered that Fang Yi'ai had somehow produced a jar of wine and had already taken a sip.

Qiu Tianjiao quickly placed the tray on the table and snatched the wine jar from his hand.

"Who told you to drink?" Qiu Tianjiao said irritably.

Fang Yi'ai, shameless as ever, said, "I only had one sip just now, and it wasn't enough. Could I have some more?"

"No, if you keep going like this, when will you ever get better?"

"Just one cup, is that alright?"

Qiu Tianjiao, unable to bear his nagging any longer, poured him another cup.

While eating and drinking, Fang Yi'ai said with emotion, "You're still the best to me."

Qiu Tianjiao blinked and asked, "There are rumors in Chang'an that you're getting engaged to Princess Gaoyang?"

"Hmm?" Upon hearing this, Fang Yi'ai thought to herself, "Oh no! Good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels fast. How did she find out about this? Which bastard tipped her off?"

He quickly put down the wine cup, pulled Qiu Tianjiao into his arms, and swore, "Don't believe the rumors, they're absolutely untrue. In this life, I will only love you."

"Really? The rumors are so detailed, saying that you two met at the Prince of Yue's residence, both of you liked each other, and you're about to get engaged. How could that be false?"

"If that's really the case, then what should I do?" Qiu Tianjiao stared into his eyes.

Upon hearing this, Fang Yi'ai had no choice but to change his story: "That day, I went to the Yue Prince's residence to express my gratitude and did indeed meet Princess Gaoyang. However, it was just a chance encounter, not a blind date."

"Really? So, what did you all talk about?"

"We just had a simple chat about calligraphy," Fang Yi'ai said, pouring himself another glass of wine.

Qiu Tianjiao found this intriguing: "When did you become interested in calligraphy? I had no idea!"

I only know a little bit about it.

"Let me tell you, don't try to fool me. If you dare to do anything to betray me, I'll take a pair of scissors and chop off your useless thing."

"This...this is completely untrue. If you don't believe me, I swear to God."

"No need for that."

Fang Yi'ai talked and drank at the same time, and before he knew it, he was drunk again.

He carried Qiu Tianjiao to the bed: "Tonight, don't leave. Stay here with me."

"No, wait until you're better."

"No need to wait, I feel that my body has fully recovered and I am very strong."

"Really? Let me check." Qiu Tianjiao giggled.

Whether you have an inspection or not, I guarantee your satisfaction.

Fang Yi'ai removed all of Qiu Tianjiao's clothes, revealing her alluring body.

Qiu Tianjiao's long, beautiful legs are breathtakingly beautiful.

"If you still can't perform tonight, I'll beat you to death!"

"..."