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

Chapter 765: Learning from History (X)

"Of course, as the Lu family's power grows, it's normal for some people to covet the throne. But it's just a thought at best. It's unlikely that they'll actually commit treason."

"First of all, it is not so easy to replace the Liu family. There is no one in the Lu family who can take the lead. The most important thing is that the Lu family does not have the merit to dominate the world."

"Even if some people overestimate their own abilities, I dare to assert that Empress Lu will definitely try her best to stop it. Because if Empress Lu cooperates, in fifteen years, it will be enough to eliminate those meritorious officials one by one and replace them with officials who flatter the Lu family, thus laying the foundation for the subsequent abdication."

"Father is a man of great talent and vision, and he is also a man who can be an emperor. If you were in Empress Lü's position, how many ways would you have to replace Empress Liu in fifteen years?"

When Li Shimin heard this question, he subconsciously raised his head and said proudly: "It won't take fifteen years, only five years, I..."

At this point, Li Shimin saw the teasing and amusement in the prince's eyes. Li Shimin was stunned, and then he realized that he had been fooled by his son. He glared at him, snorted unhappily, then ignored the prince and began to think.

Yes! It's not reasonable.
Empress Lü came from the era of Liu Bang. As the queen, she personally experienced the process of conquering the world. She had a strong personality, extraordinary insight, and skills that were no less than Liu Bang's. In the following fifteen years, she made the Han Dynasty prosperous in all industries and the country peaceful and the people safe. She was as capable as any man and was by no means comparable to ordinary women.

If such a female hero really wanted to replace Liu, given her position, with all the power in her hands, her son being cowardly and incompetent, and her meritorious officials and kings being too cautious, even if she failed in five years, fifteen years would be enough!
For the first time, Li Shimin began to doubt the history books and muttered to himself: "So, Empress Lü did not have that kind of ambition."

"Of course not. On the contrary, Empress Lü was intent on strengthening the central government, consolidating the power of the Liu and Lü families, and safeguarding the Han dynasty. Not only did the meritorious officials have a good end, but even most of Liu Bang's sons stayed in their fiefdoms as kings, didn't they?"

"Doesn't Empress Lu know that these children will grow up slowly over time, becoming more and more powerful and increasing the influence of the Liu family?"

"Don't forget that in order to protect Liu Ruyi from the persecution of Empress Lü, Liu Bang paired him with a loyal and resolute minister like Wei Zheng, and left an imperial edict not to go to Chang'an, but what could he do? He was summoned to Chang'an and killed the second year after Liu Bang's death."

"Those heroes couldn't even protect Liu Ruyi, let alone protect others."

"Liu Ruyi, the one Liu Bang loved the most, was killed by Empress Lü like a chick. You can imagine what happened to the other princes with the surname Liu. They were called princes, but they were just children who had lost their powerful protection. In front of a powerful figure like Empress Lü, they could be destroyed at the touch of a finger, and they had no power to resist at all."

"But Empress Lü did not do so. Instead, she sent wise ministers to assist these princes in their growth. How can this be seen as an act of secretly changing the fate of the country?"

Li Yan knew that it would not be long before the Tang Dynasty would have a female emperor comparable to Empress Lü. It took only seven years to usurp the kingdom that three generations of Li emperors had built over decades. Not to mention fifteen years, it would be enough to do anything.
Could Empress Lü be worse than Empress Wu?

Li Yan's eyes darkened, and he said coldly: "Don't say that the people are on Liu's side. Emperor Gaozu of Han started his army in 48, was the King of Han for 6 years, and the Emperor of Han for 7 years. In total, including the time of starting the army, he ruled the country for 13 years at most. Where did the people's support come from?"

"Where did Xiang Liu come from?"

"If Empress Lü had any selfish desire to replace Liu, she could have sacrificed the interests of the Liu family, deposed all the Liu princes, and then shared the power that belonged to the emperor with the group of meritorious officials."

"Such a big concession will surely satisfy the group of meritorious officials, and thus win their support for the Lü family to replace Liu. Even if they eventually seal off the Han dynasty like the Zhou emperor did, the Lü family will still be able to gain a good reputation and will not end up with the entire family being executed."

"hiss"

When Li Shimin heard this, he took a deep breath and looked at the harmless Confucian scholar in front of him with shock. But the words he said were murderous and chilling, which made Li Shimin, a hero who had killed countless people for the sake of his country and had already hardened his heart as iron, feel a chill.

It's really a great wisdom that is close to being a demon.
If the person in front of me is not my eldest son, then I must win him over and keep an eye on him every day. Otherwise, if he is my enemy, I will not be able to sleep peacefully. As long as this person is alive, I will feel like a thorn in my back and a thorn in my throat.

Even if he comes to rely on me, I still want him to explore the way for me before I die.

It is said that one word can destroy a country, and one word can build a country.

I used to not believe that there would be such a person in the world, but after seeing him today, I realized how big the world is and that it should not be underestimated.

There are always people better than you.
The most important thing is that such a brilliant person also knows how to hide himself and defile himself.

There is a hidden dragon in the abyss, never showing its true colors. If it weren't for the conversation tonight, the crisis facing the Tang Dynasty would have revealed its whereabouts. I'm afraid the entire court, and even myself, would be worried that the prince is too weak and needs strong support.

Fortunately, it is a blessing that such a person was born into the Li family, and he is her eldest son. God bless the Tang Dynasty.

The fear in his heart slowly dissipated. Li Shimin thought carefully about what the prince said and felt powerless even when he wanted to refute it.

Yes! Empress Lü had too many opportunities and time to completely replace Liu, but she did not. Not only did she not eliminate those obstacles on a large scale, she also did not wantonly kill the princes of the Liu family. She only appointed some of her own family members.

Until his death, he never made any actual move to usurp the throne.

If we exclude her selfish ambitions and motives to usurp the throne, she really made great contributions to the continuation of the Han Dynasty. It would not be an exaggeration to say that she worked hard and devoted her life to the cause. Such a person can be called a virtuous queen, respected by all people in the world and future generations.

But in the end, the Manchus were killed and stared at on the pillar of shame in history, leaving a bad reputation for eternity and being despised by the world. It is really a pity.
Both of them sighed in their hearts that history is indeed written by the victors, and the losers can only be dressed up and vilified at will.

Once again struck by the cold reality, Li Yan took a deep breath, closed his eyes and remained silent for a while. When he opened his eyes again, he was clear-headed: "The Han Dynasty was established after Emperor Gaozu of Han defeated Xiang Yu and became emperor. This was only the first time, and it was also the first step in turning ore into iron."

"The second time was when the princes of the opposite sex were wiped out, the third time was when Empress Lü came to power, the fourth time was when Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing quelled the rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms, and the fifth time was when Emperor Wu made his great expedition. Only after these five times did the Han Dynasty truly become a country of steel and iron."

"And the fifteen years of Empress Lü's rule were particularly important. This step was the real transformation of the Han Dynasty, the key step in forging iron into steel. After these fifteen years of governance, the people were truly settled, and the world truly turned to the Han Dynasty."

"It can be said that in that turbulent period, if Empress Lü had not taken over at the critical moment, the Han Dynasty might not have been able to stabilize the situation. Although Liu Bang was a man of extraordinary talent, his time was too short and the foundation he left for the Han Dynasty was too weak."

"It was Empress Lü who turned iron into steel, which led to the successive tempering of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing. After the continuous hammering of the two wise emperors, the Han Dynasty became as solid as iron and as stable as Mount Tai."

"It is said that the Qin Dynasty was the result of six generations of hard work, and the Han Dynasty was also the result of several generations of hard work and pioneering."

"Only then did Emperor Wu of Han achieve his great success, drive out the Xiongnu, seal off the Wolf's Lair, and gain great fame, attracting all nations to pay tribute."

"It brought hundreds of years of peace to the world. Even though there was the episode of Wang Mang usurping the Han Dynasty, the world was divided but not disintegrated, and was quickly pacified by Emperor Guangwu. It must be said that the people of the world owed a great debt of gratitude to the Han Dynasty."

"The people's hearts are with Han, that's why they were able to reunite so quickly."

"These are the solid foundations laid by several generations of emperors during the founding period of the Han Dynasty, which left precious legacy for future generations. In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, many heroes fought for supremacy for a whole sixty years, and finally the vitality accumulated by the Han Dynasty for hundreds of years was truly destroyed."

"This shows the importance of foundation. Whether our Tang Dynasty can survive in the world depends on whether the foundation is strong during the founding period."

At this point, Li Yan said with absolute certainty: "If my father is Empress Lü, then I must be Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing. If my father is Empress Lü plus Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing, then I must be Emperor Wu of Han, who conquered the world, drove the Xiongnu far away, and made all the tribes submit to me."

Li Yan did not mention the Emperor Taihuang Li Yuan who created the child in Da'an Palace. It is obvious that he was the Emperor Gaozu of Han who had completed his historical mission and was as good as dead even though he was alive.
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Shimin's eyes flashed with a sharp light and he stared at Li Yan with a scorching gaze. The emperor's domineering aura was fully revealed, sweeping towards Li Yan like a tsunami.

Li Yan had the aura of an emperor and had once ruled the world, so he was not afraid at all and looked straight ahead with a frank face. No matter how fierce Li Shimin was, it was like a drop in the ocean when he pounced on Li Yan, disappearing without a trace.

Li Yan's face remained calm, his eyes were peaceful, his breathing was not hurried at all, and his demeanor was always calm and composed.

The gazes between father and son were like those between emperors of two dynasties, and their eyes almost sparked sparks in the air.

After a long time, Li Shimin's expression softened.

He secretly sighed in his heart, this kid, who is obviously only in his teens and whose beard hair is not even fully grown, is actually as imposing as himself. Facing his imperial power, he shows no fear at all. Is he ignorant and fearless, or is he relying on something huge?

Or is it that you are strong without desires and have no worries?

Or maybe you are too wise, so you don’t care about the fame and fortune in this world. You will be calm when you gain it and indifferent when you lose it. You will have to fight for it, but you just let nature take its course!

I heard that the prince has a special quiet room in the East Palace, and there are many Taoist classics in his study.

The prince is so naturally intelligent that ordinary knowledge would probably not be of interest to him. However, the knowledge of Buddhism and Taoism is as deep as the ocean. Could it be that this kid has delved into it and finally developed a detached mentality, and is no longer interested in worldly fame and fortune?

That would be a huge loss for our Li family. Thinking of this, Li Shimin frowned and felt a little worried. He should find more things for this kid to do in the future so that he won't be immersed in books all day long.

But this is a matter for the future, so just keep it in mind. For now, we should think about the issue of maintaining the country forever.

(End of this chapter)