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

Chapter 667 Li Shimin's Skills
To win the hearts of ministers, one must use both kindness and severity. For a frontier minister like Cheng Yaojin who has neglected him for several years, it can be said that he has worn down his temper to the core.

Li Shimin knew that they were anxious and worried about gains and losses, so he only needed to win them over and show them kindness, and they could be brought back into the ranks of his confidants.

The Dingxiang Road Marching General Manager appointed by the court before was a benefit, but now it is to communicate feelings and build closer relations. For this reason, Li Shimin specifically turned down court affairs and made time to receive Cheng Yaojin.

This courtesy and respect was not only given to Cheng Yaojin, but also to a group of military generals represented by Cheng Yaojin on the front line in Dingxiang Yunzhong.

After the two sat down, Li Shimin prepared for the conversation ahead, and then said amiably, "Zhijie, if I remember correctly, since the ninth year of Wude, after the Bianqiao Alliance, you requested to guard the border in Anhua, Qingzhou."

"Later, when we attacked Liangshidu, you led the troops and conquered many border cities. Then you guarded the Yunzhong, Shuofang, and Xiazhou areas. You were away for three years. Every year, you hurried back to the capital to report on your duties, and then returned to the border again."

"In the past few years, I have taken over the Tang Dynasty and have been busy dealing with Jie Li and the rebel king in the south. Until now, the remnants of Ding Jie in Xiangyang have not been pacified. There are so many things going on in the court, and I have never found the time to have a good chat with you. Have we become a little estranged in these years?"

Li Shimin said with emotion: "Now that I think about it, it was better when I was the King of Qin. I didn't have so many worries. You and Shubao, Jingde, Junji and other former generals of the King of Qin followed me in my campaigns."

"Drinking big bowls of wine, eating big chunks of meat, and picking up long spears to kill the enemy, I, with a few of you generals and a few hundred soldiers, dared to charge directly into Dou Jiande's tens of thousands of camps. At that time, I was full of heroic spirit and ambition, and I didn't know what fear was. With you old brothers standing behind me, I dared to poke a hole in the sky."

Hearing Li Shimin recounting the past, Cheng Yaojin's thoughts followed Li Shimin's words and returned to the time of war and youthful vigor. Infinite nostalgia welled up on his face, and his expression was filled with longing for memories.

"Your Majesty, I am your subject." Cheng Yaojin's lips trembled, and he seemed to be hesitant to speak.

Li Shimin's eyes also fell when he saw this: "At that time, you all called me second brother. Now that I am the emperor, you have become my subjects."

"Emperor! You are supreme and supreme. To outsiders, you seem to be extremely glorious, but you are also a golden yoke. You can still ride a horse and fight on the battlefield, but what about me? I am trapped in Chang'an City by this dragon throne. It is not easy for me to even leave the palace."

"Even people as close to me as Xuanling and Fuji now observe court etiquette when they see me and dare not tell me the truth. And you and Shubao avoid me even more. Every time you see me, your former second brother, you treat me like an outsider, being meticulous in your manners, but your heart is getting further and further away from me."

"You and I have become more and more distant in the past few years. If you have anything to say, you would rather go to the Crown Prince to cry to him than to tell him to your second brother."

Seeing Li Shimin's gloomy expression and expectant eyes, Cheng Yaojin could no longer sit still. With tears in his tiger eyes, he knelt on the ground and looked at Li Shimin with a sad face, his lips trembling: "Your Majesty, it is all my fault!"

"I am so foolish. The Emperor treats me like a brother, but I have not fulfilled my duty as a minister. First, when the Emperor needed me the most, I backed off. Whenever I think of this, my heart aches and I cannot sleep peacefully day and night!"

"Later, when I was in Jingzhou, I was confused again and committed an even greater crime."

"Your Majesty, Second Brother!"

"I have committed a heinous crime, and I cannot be forgiven for my crimes. All my mistakes are my fault. I have been overwhelmed by my own sins for many years. I am living a life worse than death. It is my fault for being apart from the emperor, not the emperor's responsibility."

"Your Majesty, please punish me. Even if you strip me of my title and official position and send me into exile, I will not complain!"

Cheng Yaojin was deeply touched and broke down emotionally. He could no longer suppress the strong impulse and poured out his heart to Li Shimin.

After saying this, he burst into tears and fell to the ground, crying so hard that he could not make a sound. It was a horrible sight.
He knew that the emperor knew everything about the events of Xuanwu Gate and Jingzhou, but these past events weighed on his heart like a mountain. Instead of this, he might as well take advantage of this best opportunity for the emperor to show his favor and make things clear.

If Li Shimin convicted me, I would bear the consequences. The Battle of Dingxiang would be launched at the end of the year, and it would be the best time to confess before then, and I would probably get the emperor's forgiveness. If I waited until the war was over, when the court would return and the soldiers would be dispersed, it would be even more troublesome.

If the emperor uses these things to hang himself up, it would be extremely passive. Cheng Yaojin is rough on the outside but delicate on the inside. Since he gained the trust of the prince two days ago, Cheng Yaojin has been thinking that the Xuanwu Gate incident is not a big deal, Li Shimin is broad-minded and he will not mention it again; but the Jingzhou incident involves the prince.

It certainly could not be hidden from Li Shimin and people like Fang Mou and Du Duan. Even Changsun Wuji, who happened to be in Jingzhou at that time, could guess a rough idea.

As the King of Shu was the instigator, this incident became a handle for both of them, tying them together invisibly. The fact that he had surrendered to the Eastern Palace could not be concealed for long. If Li Ke saw that it was hopeless to win him over and he became an enemy, he might even use this to threaten him.

There will be endless troubles!
Instead of being so scared, it is better to confess directly to the emperor and take the opportunity to plead guilty when the emperor is happy to get close to the prince. As long as the emperor knows, the prince will naturally be relieved by the emperor.

After all, he was not the crown prince at that time and was on the opposite side, so whatever he did was excusable. Later, if he joined the Eastern Palace and supported the crown prince more, wouldn't his merits be enough to forgive his sins?

This incident seems to be an unforgivable crime, but in this turbulent era, it is no big deal. Changes of dynasties are common in this era, and the emperor does not require high loyalty from his subjects.

Wei Zheng, Xue Wanche, Wang Gui, Wei Ting and others were once Li Jiancheng's men. Wei Zheng had repeatedly advised Li Jiancheng to kill Li Shimin, while Xue Wanche frantically attacked the King of Qin on the day of the Xuanwu Gate Incident, intending to kill him.

But in the end, Li Shimin forgave these people and entrusted them with important tasks.

And I was just confused for a moment and made a mistake. Will Li Shimin's son bear a grudge against me for the rest of his life and push out the general who has joined his camp?
That doesn't make sense.
Li Shimin nodded in satisfaction upon seeing this, stood up with a heavy expression and helped Cheng Yaojin up, pretending to be responsible and said: "Look at you, you are already so grown up, but you are still crying like a child. You didn't cry enough the day before yesterday, and you are crying again today? If they were all like you, my Chengqing Palace would be flooded."

Cheng Yaojin's old face turned red, and he stretched out his sleeves to wipe his face randomly, making it a mess, and his beard was tangled into a ball with tears.

Li Shimin pulled Cheng Yaojin back to sit on the stool and said, "Don't mention the Xuanwu Gate incident anymore. I don't blame you. As my father's subjects, you refused to show your swords to my father. This is your duty as a subject."

"You are innocent, I am the one who is guilty!"

"I was forced into a desperate situation by Jiancheng and his men. For the sake of the people of the world, I had to fight to the death. Although you, Shubao, Li Jing, Li Ji and others did not help me, you did not reveal my plan to my father, Jiancheng and his men. You have done your best to show me the friendship between the monarch and his subjects. How could I force you to attack the palace?"

Li Shimin sighed, "As for the grudges that arise from this? I can tolerate even Feng Li and Wei Zheng, who are close associates of the Crown Prince, so how could I have any grudges against you because of this? You have underestimated my magnanimity!"

A few words brought up the past that was too painful to recall. Before Cheng Yaojin could speak, Li Shimin's face darkened and he asked, "Zhijie, tell me the truth in front of me today. Why did you do that in Jingzhou?"

Cheng Yaojin's heart trembled, and he quickly knelt down again to plead guilty. Li Shimin waved his hand and said casually: "What happened at that time is in the past, and the prince is safe and sound. I don't want to investigate anything, I just want to know the truth."

Cheng Yaojin was determined to confess. Firstly, he had been living in fear for the past three years. Being burdened by such worries, he would be driven crazy sooner or later. In the end, he would either die in battle or become a traitor. He really didn't want to live like this anymore.

Secondly, Cheng Huailiang had previously surrendered to the King of Shu, and he had already set foot halfway into the King's Palace. Now he had abandoned the King of Shu and joined the Eastern Palace, which would surely make the King of Shu jealous. Since he could not help the King of Shu kill the Prince, he would have to help the Prince kill the King of Shu, to eliminate the trouble once and for all, and to make the King never have the opportunity or ability to retaliate against him again.

After weighing the pros and cons, Cheng Yaojin made up his mind. When he heard Li Shimin's questioning, he told him the truth without hesitation.

"Your Majesty, I felt that I had lost your favor because I was absent from the Xuanwu Gate. I was worried about my future. At this time, Huai Liang rushed to my camp and said that he was secretly spying on me on the King of Shu, and asked me to provoke a dispute and launch an attack while I was monitoring Luo Yi's rebels."

Cheng Yaojin knelt on the ground and said with regret: "I have no prejudice against the two princes. It's just that I was confused when I saw Yuchi Gong and Hou Junji, the ministers who supported the emperor, being promoted, while I was exiled to Jingzhou to guard Luo Yi."

"I was filled with regret for not participating in Xuanwu Gate. At this time, Huailiang, the rebellious son, persuaded me that the King of Shu was as good as the emperor in martial arts and would definitely continue the emperor's cause in the future. I was temporarily bewildered and thought that helping the King of Shu might make up for the previous shortcomings. So I was persuaded and committed an unforgivable crime."

(End of this chapter)