hsntnovel Chapter 2031: Announcement of funeral arrangements
Chapter 2031: Announcement of funeral arrangements
Li Shimin felt comforted to see his son so filial.
As an emperor, mind comes first and benevolence comes second; both are indispensable.
If you are only cruel, you can only be a tyrant; if you are only benevolent, it is easy to destroy the country.
Be ruthless when necessary and be kind when necessary. If someone is not convinced, kill them until they are scared, and then show some kindness to them to demonstrate your status.
Although Li Chengqian has not yet fully reached the height he wanted, the current Li Chengqian still satisfies them and is a qualified crown prince.
"Haha, Gao Ming, don't be sad. If he really dies, you can succeed to the throne. Become a true emperor, the Son of Heaven of the Tang Dynasty."
Li Shimin smiled softly and spoke in a very relaxed manner. He wanted to ease the sad atmosphere, but as soon as he said this, Li Chengqian knelt down from his seat.
"Father, I have never been anxious to inherit the throne. I know very well that Father has his own arrangements.
I only know that I have not yet succeeded to the throne because I am not qualified enough and do not have the ability to be an emperor.
When I meet Grandpa's requirements, Grandpa will naturally pass the throne to me."
"You are still so cautious." Li Shimin shook his head helplessly and gestured to Wang De, who helped Li Chengqian up.
"You are the crown prince, the future emperor. You don't need to be so careful. I was just joking just now. You should learn more from that bastard Old Ten."
Learn more? Li Chengqian thought to himself, is it okay to be careless? Learn from Li Shen? Their Li family has only produced such a thing in hundreds of years, can it be learned?
Besides, isn’t Li Shen also cautious in his words and actions?
"Yes, that's what Aye taught me, but my tenth brother has always been free and easy, pursuing freedom, so it's difficult for me to learn from him."
Regardless of what he was thinking, Li Chengqian still saluted in return.
"That's right. This rebellious son only pursues enjoyment and has no ambitions. He is like a wandering cloud and wild crane. Don't learn from him."
Li Shimin quite agreed with Li Chengqian's words.
"But..." Li Shimin suddenly changed the subject, "Old Ten is of great use to you. Today, the country is stable and the people live in peace, all thanks to Li Shen.
After I die, you must treat him well, and he will bring great benefits to our Tang Dynasty."
"Aye..." When Li Chengqian heard Li Shimin say that he had passed away, he wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Li Shimin waving his hand.
"Please listen to me. The Tenth Master is a man of great talent, and you need the Shan family to make use of him.
Moreover, the Tenth Master is kind-hearted and has always been thinking about making life better for the people, which is very helpful to our ancestral temple and country.
You must remember that water can carry a boat but can also capsize it. Our Li Tang dynasty depends entirely on the support of the people. In the future, you must love the people like your own children and make their lives better. Then the people will naturally support our Li family.
Just as Lao Shi once said, as long as we satisfy the interests of the majority of people, our Li family will remain standing, because we cannot satisfy the interests of everyone in the world.
Satisfy the interests of a small group of people to satisfy the interests of the majority. Most of the people in the world are ordinary people. As long as the people are satisfied, they will not rebel.
The remaining small group of people is not a cause for concern."
This concept was told to him by Li Shen when he was a child, and it is consistent with his idea that water can carry a boat but can also capsize it.
"Aye, you mean the noble families and the rich and powerful?"
Li Chengqian immediately thought of what Li Shimin wanted to express.
Ordinary people make up the majority of the population, and that small group consists only of nobles and aristocratic families.
Li Shimin nodded gently:
"Yes, that's exactly what I mean. If we distribute some of the profits of the noble families and the rich to the people, the people will live a better life.
The powerful and wealthy families have only lost some of their interests. They still have a lot of wealth and high status, so they will not have the intention to rebel.
The people live a prosperous life, have no worries about food and clothing, and will not harbor any rebellious thoughts.
While achieving the best of both worlds, it can also weaken the nobility and aristocratic families, killing three birds with one stone.
In fact, the Tenth Brother is already doing this. He will defraud the money of the noble families to build bridges, roads, schools and cities.
You should know that he never used corvée labor, but hired laborers, which greatly increased the people's income."
"So that's how it is." After hearing this, Li Chengqian suddenly realized that Li Shen had such an important role.
"That's why I told you to treat Old Ten well."
"Don't worry, father. My son and I are brothers and we will definitely treat him well." Li Chengqian immediately assured.
"Well, as for government affairs, you must know how to use people wisely, but don't listen to one side only, don't favor one person over the other, and don't delegate power.
It is easy to delegate power, but it is difficult to take it back.
Zhangsun Wuji is the most capable and he is from your maternal family. I had originally intended to entrust my son to him and have him assist you in the future.
However, Changsun Wuji was greedy for power and wanted to make the Changsun family stronger, so Mo did not give power to him and used Ma Zhou and Yu Zhining to restrain him.
If he does something wrong, don't think about our old friendship and just leave him as a descendant.
The military generals are all loyal to me and have fought with me through thick and thin. Let them retire and I will employ them when they are needed.
The power of the aristocratic families in the court is weak now, but we must be careful to prevent them from making a comeback. We should use the imperial examinations to recruit more talented people. You must remember this."
Li Shimin took a breath when he said this. He was now making arrangements for his funeral arrangements. He was afraid that if he really died, he would have no chance.
If these things happened under normal circumstances, Li Shimin would not have told Li Chengqian because it had not yet reached that point.
But today is different from the past. This time the illness is more serious. If I don’t tell you today, I may not be able to tell you tomorrow.
Li Chengqian nodded with tears in his eyes:
"Don't worry, Master. I will remember your teachings."
He naturally knew that this was his father's instructions for his funeral.
Li Shimin paused for a moment and then spoke again:
"Gao Ming, there is another person you need to pay attention to. Duke Yingguo Li Ji is quite talented and is both civil and military, but you have not shown any kindness to him. I am afraid he will not be able to submit to you.
I will issue an order to demote him to a lower position. If he takes office immediately after the order, then after I pass away, you can find an opportunity to reuse him, appoint him as a minister, and treat him as a confidant.
But if he does not take office immediately and wanders around Chang'an City, you must get rid of him immediately to prevent future troubles."
Li Shimin said it calmly, but his eyes were filled with murderous intent. Li Ji is a talented person, but I cannot use him, so I will kill him.
Li Shimin has never been a soft-hearted person.
When Li Shimin mentioned Li Ji, Li Chengqian was a little surprised. Li Ji was a Confucian general with outstanding achievements and was a meritorious minister in the founding of the country.
Li Chengqian never thought that Li Shimin would have the idea of getting rid of Li Ji.
But since his father said so, he must have his reasons. Li Chengqian kept it in mind.
Li Chengqian never had a good impression of Changsun Wuji. He supported him at the beginning, but later he secretly interacted with Li Tai, as if he was trying to bet on Fengyuan everywhere.
(Li Shimin's words to Li Ji are recorded in history. Li Shimin said these to Crown Prince Li Zhi when he was critically ill.
According to historical records, Li Shimin did suffer from dysentery in the end.
The Tongjian records that the emperor's suffering worsened, and the prince stayed by his side day and night, sometimes not eating for days, and some of his hair turned white.)