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

Chapter 1263 Acceptance of Conditions
"That arrow from Xuanwu Gate ended an era."

Li Shimin's eyes were blurred with tears and out of focus, as if he was thinking of the tragic scene that he could not forget: "My eldest brother and fourth brother are dead, but I am living a life worse than death. They closed their eyes and everything was over. Although I am alive, I have to endure endless torture."

"I make elixirs, and many people think I want to live forever."

"In fact, I am not a person like Qin Shi Huang, so how could I not know that there is no elixir that can make people immortal?"

"I am not greedy for life, I am just afraid of death, because I know that once I die, I will see my eldest brother and fourth brother. I don't know how to face them, and my mother's heartbroken eyes. The three sons killed each other. She should be the saddest one, right?"

"Guanyin maid, do you know?"

Li Shimin suddenly opened his eyes wide, as if he had thought of something. He turned pale with fear, trembling all over, and said tremblingly: "This time last year, I really felt that I was about to die."

"No, he is already dead."

"I saw my father, my mother, my eldest brother with an arrow stuck in his head and his head in his arms, my fourth brother with his head and body torn apart and blood all over his body, and my nephews who were killed by me, all here."

"They surrounded me. Li Jiancheng asked me why I was so cruel that I killed even my own brothers. Li Yuanji opened his bloody mouth and bit my neck without saying a word. My nephews also rushed forward."

"He held my thighs and arms, biting them continuously. Blood was flowing and the pain was excruciating. My father and mother stood aside, watching this scene coldly, indifferent."

Zhangsun Wugou's face changed. She suspected that this was all her husband's imagination, so she comforted him, "No, you dream about what you think about during the day. You must have been imagining things when you were unconscious. Didn't you also have nightmares every day during the first few months when you became the crown prince?"

"Later, it was only when Shubao and Yuchi came together to guard that you felt at ease."

"No, it's different."

Li Shimin shook his head: "I can feel that the previous one was a nightmare, and that time was real. When people die, they really will become ghosts."

"So what happened later?" Although still a little unconvinced, at this time, Changsun Wugou did not argue, but asked patiently.

"Just when I cried out to the heavens and the earth but got no response, suddenly a bright light descended from the sky and shone on me. Li Yuanji and the others seemed to be burned by the sun, and they all retreated with a scream, and I was also pulled back to the world by this light."

"Then I fell into a kind of lost chaos, as if I was locked up somewhere."

"I was half asleep and half awake. Sometimes I could feel your presence, and sometimes I could hear your voices. But it was like I was in a nightmare and couldn't wake up completely. I kept traveling through various dreams until I woke up half a month ago."

Zhangsun Wugou's heart skipped a beat when she heard this, her face changed slightly, and her eyes were erratic. In fact, she felt that her husband's long-term coma was related to her son. She knew from her own experience that her son was different from others.

It was as if he had never worried that Li Shimin would not wake up, even though it was Sun Simiao who woke Li Shimin up this time.

But Changsun Wugou knew that it must be inseparable from his son. How could it be such a coincidence that Li Shimin woke up just when he was needed?

Li Shimin lay in Zhangsun Wugou's arms, not noticing her subtle expression, but continued to mutter to himself, "Sometimes, I would rather die at Xuanwu Gate than let Li Jiancheng suffer a lifetime of torture."

"After dying once, I've let go of everything."

"When you really die, you can't take anything with you. The kingdom, the throne, all the fame, wealth and honor in the world are nothing but empty. Only the memories and pain you have experienced, engraved in your consciousness, will follow you forever."

When Changsun Wugou heard this, she sighed deeply. If her husband had passed away last year, he would not have been fifty years old. Compared with Li Yuan, Li Jing, Fang Xuanling, who were all in their seventies or eighties, he definitely died young.

Although he was plotted against by the nobles, Li Shimin aged early. He was a middle-aged man in his forties, but he looked as haggard as an old man in his fifties or sixties. This was not caused by the nobles. It was probably related to his busy work in government affairs and the torment of his conscience.

Who could bear carrying such a heavy heartache for twenty years?
"That's fine. I've actually wanted to face this matter for a long time, but I just didn't have the courage."

Li Shimin struggled to sit up from Zhangsun Wugou's arms and said in a heavy tone: "In the past, when Cheng Qian was going to offer sacrifices, every time he mentioned Li Jiancheng and Yuanji, I was very indignant. The apparent reason was to be concerned about the old generals in the Qin Palace, but in fact, I was avoiding it."

"That's good. The Right Wise King's troops are at the gates of the city, giving me a plausible excuse. Perhaps the people of the world are also waiting for me to give an explanation for this matter!"

"I agree. I agree to all three requests of the Right Wise King. Even if I owe it to my elder brother, I will pay him back in full."

After saying that, Li Shimin reached out and took a blank memorial from the imperial desk. He tremblingly picked up the red brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote the three words "Confession of Sins" on it.

Just three words made Li Shimin's wrist tremble and his handwriting became messy and almost unrecognizable.

Zhangsun Wugou shook his head after seeing it. If Li Shimin wrote it himself, he would fall into the pain he felt at Xuanwu Gate again. Just thinking about that scene made his mind churn and his thoughts confused. How could he write with concentration and calmness?
"Erlang, let Xuanling do this!" Changsun Wugou advised, "What the Right Wise King wants is to announce to the world and overturn his father's verdict. He didn't ask you to write it. Xuanling is mature and prudent, and he knows the brothers' quarrels during that period best. He also knows the character of the Right Wise King."

"Let him write it, and he will be able to take into account the decency of all parties."

"Oh, that's all!"

Li Shimin couldn't calm down when he saw the memorial that had been unwritten for a long time. Finally, he threw down the pen and said, "Okay, let Xuanling draft it, and then announce it to the world in my name."

"By the way, Erlang, do you agree to the title, the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and the Right Wise King's entry into the royal family?"

"You've already issued the most difficult edict of repentance, are you still concerned about those things?"

Li Shimin shook his head: "He is from the eldest brother's lineage, and these requests are not excessive. He deserves them."

"Will this move threaten Qian'er's throne?" This is what Changsun Wugou is most worried about. After all, recognizing the other party's identity as the eldest son is equivalent to giving the other party the legal right to inherit the throne of the Tang Dynasty, and this right is even higher than that of their second son.

"Not in the short term, but it will be difficult for future generations."

After Li Shimin recovered from his previous emotions, he regained his wisdom and shrewdness as the Khan of Heaven: "This move by the other party is beneficial to the people of the Central Plains and the Tang Dynasty. The only thing to worry about is the threat to our lineage."

"I have dealt with this Right Wise Prince before. His ability, character, and character are beyond reproach. He is a man who cares about the overall situation. Xuanling is right. His roots are all in the grassland. Forcing an integration will inevitably lead to a loss of one thing while focusing on another. The gains will not outweigh the losses."

"As long as this man controls the grassland, the Tang Dynasty will be safe."

Li Shimin and Fang Xuanling both endorsed the Right Wise King's character, and Zhangsun Wugou felt more at ease. However, thinking about the future, he couldn't help but ask, "When his descendants grow up and gain power, will they go south to fight for the throne?"

"I can't control that much."

Li Shimin shook his head and said grimly: "The environment, population, and resources of the Central Plains are far superior to those of the grasslands. If future kings still lost their kingdom despite having such advantages, it would be because they were incompetent."

"If you have an incompetent monarch, you will lose the throne sooner or later."

"Rather than letting it fall into the hands of outsiders, it is better for it to fall into the hands of our own family. If the Right Wise King's lineage really takes over the country, the Li family can still be preserved; if it falls into the hands of outsiders, the entire Li family will not have a single person left."

After saying this, seeing the worry on Zhangsun Wugou's face, Li Shimin's eyes flashed with a murderous light again: "But don't worry, if I can live another ten or twenty years, I will do my best to wipe out the lineage of the Right Wise King and eliminate the trouble forever."

"Of course, if there is no chance, then there is nothing we can do. Without absolute certainty, the Tang Dynasty should not completely turn against the Turks."

If you take action but cannot solve the problem once and for all and make a mess, it is better not to take action for the time being. Changsun Wugou also understands this truth. He just thinks that he will always have to keep a tight string and sleep with one eye open in the future.

Being constantly alert to the threats deep in the desert and never slacking off makes me feel tired.

The next morning, Li Shimin summoned Li Chengqian and Fang Xuanling to the imperial study and told them about the negotiations with the Turks and his own decision.

Li Chengqian seemed to be hearing it for the first time and was extremely surprised.

When Fang Xuanling returned to the city yesterday, it was already late. He was busy informing Li Shimin as soon as possible that a curfew had been imposed after he left the palace. He also had to rush to execute the imperial edict of guilt arranged by the empress dowager overnight, so he did not have time to meet Li Chengqian.

"Father, this Right Wise King is really going too far!"

Li Chengqian pretended to be filled with righteous indignation and said angrily: "He really thinks that he can do whatever he wants with 800,000 barbarians. We have tens of millions of people in the Tang Dynasty and countless resources. Even the impregnable Chang'an City is enough to make him suffer a bloody defeat."

"Father, this edict of apology will damage your majesty and must not be issued."

"Qian'er, don't act out of loyalty."

Seeing his son defending him, Li Shimin felt warm in his heart and said solemnly: "Although we have enough soldiers, most of them are infantry and cannot leave the city to fight in the field. The enemy is all cavalry, coming and going like the wind, and we cannot defeat them."

"Besides, if the enemy surrounds the city without attacking, and retreats to the wilderness, no matter how much food there is in the city, it will eventually be exhausted."

(End of this chapter)