The film and television world begins with the battle for the throne in Kowloon

Chapter 1262 Li Shimin’s Sadness
Fang Xuanling's mouth twitched slightly, and he was speechless in his heart. The Empress Dowager was talking without any concern. It turned out that the punishment did not fall on him, and this action would not affect his son. Then her husband, who had no blood relationship with her and had many concubines who were fickle, was sacrificed just like that.

However, after convincing the Empress Dowager, the ideological work on Li Shimin could be done by this person next to him.

So Fang Xuanling told the story that after the meeting with the emperor, the retired emperor locked himself in the room, without saying a word and immersing himself in silence.

By this time, Changsun Wugou had already realized that Fang Xuanling had come here to ask her to persuade Li Shimin to accept these conditions and turn hostility into friendship.

After thinking for a while, Changsun Wugou asked, "Xuanling, you are the Zuo Pushe. You know more about the past than I do, and you are also very clear about the current situation. What do you think are our chances of winning if we fall out?"

"Twenty percent, or even less than twenty percent."

Fang Xuanling explained: "Although we have enough troops, they are all infantry and cannot fight in the field. We can only rely on strong cities to defend. The Right Wise King has been using troops for many years and is also experienced. We only need to surround but not attack, focus on attacking the reinforcements, and fortify the city and clear the fields nearby."

"In less than three months, Chang'an will run out of food and collapse without a fight."

"The enemy has 800,000 soldiers, and they are all cavalrymen who come and go like the wind. No one in Hanzhong, Hedong or Luoyang can resist such a large-scale enemy force. As time goes on, changes are bound to happen. Those places are likely to sit on the sidelines and wait for the world to fall into chaos."

"So if you can avoid fighting, it's best not to fight. You can't win."

After hearing Fang Xuanling's assessment of the situation, Changsun Wugou made up her mind. With a determined look on her face, she stood up and said, "In this case, I know what to do. It's getting late. I will send someone with the token to escort you out of the palace."

"You don't need to take care of the rest. Leave it to me."

"Thank you, Queen Dowager." Fang Xuanling felt relieved and quickly expressed his gratitude.

"But there is one more thing I need you to do."

Zhangsun Wugou looked at Fang Xuanling with her dignified and elegant eyes: "Erlang is definitely not able to write this self-criticism edict, and it is not convenient to entrust it to others, so this matter has to fall on you. Xuanling, you are well-versed in academic studies and are experienced in state affairs. You are the minister that I trust the most."

"When you go back and draft a letter, you must try your best to save Erlang's face, satisfy the Right Wise King, and make the people of the world accept it. Finally, it must not affect Cheng Qian's future rule and the prestige of the court. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I obey your command!" Fang Xuanling had a bitter look on his face. He knew that this unfortunate task would definitely fall on him.

But the Queen Mother's attitude of wanting this and that, wanting it all, really put him in a difficult position!
After Fang Xuanling left, Changsun Wugou did not take any action immediately. Instead, he sat there alone, silently organizing his thoughts, guessing Li Shimin's current mood and state, and considering what words to use to persuade him later.

Then, he left his bedroom with his maids, eunuchs and a team of guards and headed towards where Li Shimin was.

The two palaces are located next to each other, separated only by a garden.

The sun had set and the sky was getting dark. Changsun Wugou and his group walked along the middle corridor and arrived at the Zichen Palace in just half an incense stick of time.

As soon as I entered the hall, I saw the eunuchs and palace maids around Li Shimin standing outside. Everyone had a serious and nervous look and did not dare to move around.

Zhangsun Wugou summoned Jingming and asked him about it. After that, she learned that the study was quiet and there was no movement during this period. She knew that Li Shimin was still immersed in his entanglement. After instructing no one to disturb him, he opened the door of the study and walked in alone.

Walking around the screen, he saw Li Shimin lying on the chair behind the imperial desk, with his head tilted back and his eyes closed in deep thought.

Changsun Wugou walked forward with light lotus steps, brought a brocade cushion, and sat down quietly beside Li Shimin.

When I got closer, I realized that Li Shimin was not motionless, but was holding the handrails tightly with both hands. His wrinkled old face looked very cold, his eyelids were tightly closed, and his whole body was trembling slightly, as if he was in great pain.

Changsun Wugou sighed slightly, stretched out her hand, and gently placed it on Li Shimin's big hand. When she was about to say something, she suddenly saw a string of tears flowing from Li Shimin's tightly closed old eyes.

"Erlang!"

Changsun Wugou's whole body was shocked, and a strong pain surged in his heart. All the words of persuasion that he had prepared before suddenly disappeared.

Li Shimin had always been strong since he was young. He fought in battles all his life, killed countless people, and defeated countless enemies. He shed blood and sweat, but never cried. Even in the months after the Xuanwu Gate Incident, when he couldn't sleep all night, he was just in pain and irritable, but never cried.

But now, in her old age, she was forced to cry. Young couples grow old together. Although Li Shimin later became emperor and favored countless concubines, he forgot their childhood love, which made her sad and painful. Sometimes she felt resentful and dissatisfied when she thought about it.

No matter what, he is her man after all, her support, the father of her children, and the pillar of the Tang Dynasty.

When Changsun Wugou saw that the great Emperor Retired of the Tang Dynasty, the Khan who once dominated the whole country, showed such a weak side, he instantly put aside all his past dissatisfactions, took out his handkerchief with heartache, and wiped away the water stain.

"Erlang, Xuanling told me everything about the Right Wise King."

Changsun Wugou gently extended her hand and stroked the white hair of Li Shimin, like a mother's hand stroking her child. Seeing Li Shimin, who was less than fifty years old but looked like a man in his seventies, with white hair and wrinkles all over his face, Changsun Wugou sighed.

She still remembers the handsome and elegant young man, the unrivaled Li family's second son. It has only been a short time, but the handsome and elegant young man is no longer there. Time has taken away everything from him, leaving only a body like rotten cotton in the wind.

This heavy burden is so tiring!
Zhangsun Wugou, who had shouldered a heavy responsibility for a year, knew this very well and felt uncomfortable. He said in a gentle voice, "This person is really too much of a bully. He proposed such an excessive condition. It's better not to talk about peace like this."

"With the foundation of our Tang Dynasty and the support of the people, as well as the millions of soldiers in Chang'an City, it won't be that easy for them to defeat us, right?"

"Guanyin maid, I am not sad about the edict of apology."

Li Shimin silently opened his eyes, but did not sit up. Instead, he leaned over and fell into his wife's arms, as if his wife's arms could make him feel some warmth. Changsun Wugou also adjusted her body and hugged her husband's shoulders tightly.

For a moment, the couple seemed to have returned to their youth, and their hearts became closer.

"He is my eldest brother's child. I took away my eldest brother's throne and killed his entire family. This is a blood feud that is irreconcilable. As a son, he can do nothing wrong. I am not angry about this."

"If I were in that position, I would not only destroy the Tang Dynasty, but also kill all the enemies. Otherwise, I would never withdraw my troops. He holds enough power to control the world, but he did not do anything extreme. He has done his best."

"He just wants me to admit my mistake. From this point of view, he is not a vicious person."

Zhangsun Wugou was slightly startled. Li Shimin was so angry that he could think of this. He was indeed the one who created the prosperous Tang Dynasty. But she did not speak. She knew that what Li Shimin needed now was someone to talk to. She just needed to listen.

As expected, Li Shimin did not wait for Zhangsun Wugou to ask, and continued: "To be honest, since the day at Xuanwu Gate when I personally released the arrow that was shot at my elder brother and saw the disbelief in his eyes before he died, I have stopped considering myself a human being."

"Who can kill with their own hands their own brother who has taken care of them since they were young?"

"But I am a living person. In the past twenty years, there has not been a day that I have not felt pain for the arrow I shot with my own hands. So I keep doing things and expanding outward, just to keep my heart from being able to calm down."

"Once I calm down, I can't help but think about the look in my brother's eyes before he died."

"I know that although he pressed me step by step and was afraid of me, dissatisfied with me, and hated me, he never thought of killing me, otherwise he would have had more chances than I did. From the look in his eyes before he died, there was an expression that was unimaginable."

"I knew it. He never thought he would die at the hands of his own brother."

Li Shimin said sadly, "You know, Guanyin, if his last expression was all about reluctance for not taking the initiative and resentment towards me, I would be able to feel at ease, at least I killed someone who wanted to kill me."

"But no, this shows that he never thought of killing his brother."

At this point, Li Shimin smiled bitterly: "Just like in the court a few days ago, even though Li You wanted to rebel and threaten Cheng Qian's throne, Cheng Qian still pleaded for him. In front of all the civil and military officials in the court, he knelt down and begged me to save his life."

"Perhaps all the older brothers in this world are more tolerant than the younger brothers. Even if the younger brother does something wrong, they will show him the least bit of mercy. But the younger brothers are more ruthless. They either won't do it, or they will do it to the extreme."

Hearing this, Changsun Wugou felt relieved. During this period, Li Shimin's resurrection made her feel as if she had returned to the time when she was insecure, fearing that her husband would threaten her son's throne. After all, in just one year, the Tang Dynasty had become so chaotic.

If the husband really wants to be serious, Li Chengqian will still be in trouble.

Now hearing what Li Shimin said, she felt a lot more relieved. Her son's performance as emperor satisfied most people.

(End of this chapter)