Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 398 You asked for it
The palace of the most powerful empire on earth in the seventh century AD and the bedroom of the most powerful woman in the world, Empress Dowager Yang, were located here.

In fact, it is just a one-story building, hidden in the lush woods and gardens, and is not much different from other buildings in the yard.

The deposed Emperor of Tang, Li Chengqian, along with the deposed Crown Prince Li Zhi and Princess Li Mingda, came to pay a visit at the request of the Empress Dowager.

"Mother." Li Chengqian bowed sullenly but politely.

"Mother... Queen." Li Zhi was sweating as he saluted. His legs were shaking and he wished he could just kneel down.

"Auntie~" Li Mingda greeted his stepmother openly.

Li Zhi gasped when he heard this, and looked at his fearless sister in shock, his eyes almost popping out.

What do you call the Queen Mother, Auntie?

It's so disrespectful! According to etiquette, the Queen Mother is the...

"I am still young, and may have been a little impolite in my manners. Please forgive me, mother." Li Chengqian took the initiative to explain for her, acting like an elder brother.

Queen Mother Yang smiled kindly at her three adopted children:

"We are all family, there is no need to be so restrained, be more casual.

"Come on, what's the point of standing? Sit down quickly."

As he spoke, he nodded to Li Mingda:
"Sister Sizi is wearing something particularly bright today. Where did you buy this gauze skirt?"

Compared with the cold "Queen Mother", Empress Dowager Yang felt that the title "Aunt" was more familiar, so she and Li Mingda always called each other "Aunt" and "Asizi's sister".

She also didn't like the strange "rule" in the palace of treating other people's children as her own.

But she didn't say it directly.

I was afraid of scaring the other two little cuties who called me "Mother".

After all, his own son would write to her whenever he had time, asking her to take care of the couple left by Empress Changsun and to make sure they didn't "accidentally" kill them.

"Go south from the palace and walk two streets. There is a tailor shop. There is a master tailor whose craftsmanship is very good. His craftsmanship is not inferior to that of the Taiji Palace's Shaofujian. After coming to Pingzhou, I love buying from him.

"But the skills of the other tailors in that shop are just so-so. If you want to go, you have to wait until the master tailor is on duty."

Li Mingda chattered incessantly, sharing his shopping experience with Her Majesty the Queen Mother.

"Really? Sister A'sizi is really meticulous. I will try it in a few days." Empress Dowager Yang responded with a smile.

The two women chattered about women's things, such as where to find delicious food and fun things in Pingzhou City, which tailor had the best skills, and where to find cheap jewelry.

It's just like the kind of topic that most ordinary relatives would talk about.

Brother Li Chengqian, please listen to this for now.

He now has no desires and is very detached.

Anyway, he couldn't become the emperor, and with his poor health, he probably wouldn't live long.

Just cook it however the other person likes.

But brother Li Zhi was in a completely opposite state of mind.

He was panicked.

He is still in good health and does not have the same kind of despair as his brother who has seen through the ups and downs of life. He still wants to live.

But why did every word from Li Mingda’s sister feel like she was tamping the earth on his grave?

As a princess of the previous dynasty, imprisoned in the cold palace, can she leave the palace at will?

It would be fine if you just left the palace, but you also wandered around and shared your wandering experiences with the prisoners?
You are afraid that others will have no excuse to mess with you!

If there wasn't someone around, Li Zhi would have covered his little sister's mouth.

However, right now his younger sister was chatting enthusiastically with the big boss, Queen Mother Yang, so no matter how nervous he was, he had to endure it.

He chattered on like this for more than a quarter of an hour. Yang guessed that this casual opening speech would make the two guests feel more relaxed (?), so he began to get into the topic of today.

"I believe you have heard something. To be honest, just a few days ago, under the city of Jinyang, my husband surrendered to the Emperor."

To put it another way, my eldest son just beat your father to his knees and forced him to become a prisoner of war.

This is the art of language that Her Majesty the Queen Mother has reached perfection.

I don't know, I don't care about what's happening outside, I'm just concentrating on writing poems and painting... Li Zhi was just about to pretend to be confused when he heard his younger sister say in a careless manner:

"Yeah, I saw it in the newspaper."

This is indeed a stupid thing that the innocent Ah Sizi would say. Doesn't this little girl know that being concerned about current affairs is a taboo for being a Duke of Anle? Oh, forget it... Li Zhi was too lazy to complain.

"That's right." Empress Dowager Yang took over the conversation calmly. She did not care about the "captives" obtaining intelligence through civilian channels, and she described to them the causes and consequences of the incident in detail.

Not only were there records in the newspapers, but also the officials in Chang'an opened the city gates, the southern states surrendered, and the barbarian chiefs in all directions paid tribute and submitted to the emperor.

There are also explosive news that are not reported in the newspapers.

From the two major wars in the Central Plains, the Ming Dynasty's secret preparations for war, the increase in troops and large warships, and the attraction of the main force of the Tang army to Shanxi, to the final battle of sailing on dry land, every detail is told one by one.

The three of them were stunned.

"Get the boat to the land... How could Xiao Ming come up with such a fantastic idea?"

Li Mingda showed the purest surprise and admiration.

Li Chengqian, who had been the top leader, sensed a different meaning in this.

"Gathering all the power in the world and focusing it on one point in Jinyang... What a terrifying skill of control!"

Friends who often act like emperors know that ruling people is not just about moving the mouse and doing whatever you tell them to do.

The game between subordinates and superiors has always been very complicated.

Among these, poor implementation of government orders, refusal to execute orders, discounted execution, or even lip service are all low-end situations.

The high-end way to play is to double down on the implementation of the policies from above, to go too far and overcorrect, thus achieving the effect of being obviously red but actually black.

And we can't hold our superiors accountable. After all, the idea came from His Majesty, and we are just trying our best to implement it!

Take the example of Li Ming collecting all the oil and fat in the world and using it in the war.

If it were the Tang Dynasty, or any other dynasty, there would surely be a large number of officials who, under the banner of "sharing the country's worries", would wantonly plunder the people's wealth (metaphorical meaning) for their own use.

This led to widespread complaints and even uprising among the people.

However, the amount of oil and fat actually used in the war is very limited, and it may even lead to the failure of the war.

The burden on the people has been greatly increased, but the resources that have been plundered are not used where they should be used. Most of the resources are lost in the middle link of "bureaucracy".

However, this was not the case with the Ming Dynasty under Li Ming.

That guy actually gathered all the power in the world and used it on the Jinyang battlefield where he wanted to use it.

I wouldn’t say that there is no oil and water that “leaks” away in the middle, but it is definitely only a small amount.

Otherwise, the people would have revolted long ago and the war would not have been won so easily.

He was able to command a vast empire with ease, and he did this even when the emperor was not at home.

Li Ming's control over his country is so terrifying!
"This guy is a lunatic, a lunatic!" Li Zhi's thoughts were very simple.

He didn't want to think about whether the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was good at governing his subordinates.

If Brother Li Ming was a rookie, he would not have been able to build such a great empire.

All he cares about now is how he should survive after provoking a madman like Li Ming.

That guy is a madman who can move ships onto land, a madman who devotes the whole country's strength just to win the final battle beautifully!

He was both unreasonable and powerful. How could I be so blind as to fight for power with such a freak?

Now Li Ming seemed to be willing to let them go.

But if that madman has a new idea and wants to kill everyone, then Li Zhi and his men will definitely be dead...

"In fact, there is no need to trouble you to come here just for these trivial matters."

Empress Dowager Yang finally said gently:
"It's just that I've been busy these days and haven't seen you for a while. I wanted to talk to you, so I called you here for this reason."

The announcement of "Give up! You have been completely defeated, and your Tang Dynasty is dead" was delivered with such affection that Empress Dowager Yang's closing statement was perfect.

"It's all my fault. I was busy shopping these days. We will definitely come to visit Auntie more often in the future." Li Mingda apologized sincerely.

Li Chengqian and Li Zhi were a little slow and also quickly expressed their loyalty to the Queen Mother:
"Your son has neglected to greet you, please, mother..."

"There is no such thing as a subject being a subject or not being a subject. We in the Ming Dynasty do not care about this." Empress Dowager Yang interrupted the two men's apology with a smile.

Everything has been explained, and the remnants of the previous dynasty have completely given up.

The two brothers of the Li family said goodbye to Empress Dowager Yang and returned to their respective homes to wait for the arrival of the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty and the Emperor Emeritus.

Will the twin suns in the sky roast me into a mummy?

Li Zhi stood up anxiously, and then heard Empress Dowager Yang say:
"Liaodong has green mountains and clear waters, and the scenery is different from that in Guanzhong. You three may want to go out more often to relax and take a deep breath.

"Especially as the weather has warmed up recently, it has attracted many orioles to sing, which is really lovely."

The Queen Mother's voice was very gentle, but it immediately made Li Zhi's back covered in cold sweat.

Because before he went out, what he painted was the singing of a yellow oriole!

Why did the Queen Mother specifically bring this up?

Is it a coincidence?

Or... to remind him that the Queen Mother's surveillance and control over the harem is far beyond his imagination, so that he should be more careful?
With a confused mind, Li Zhi followed his elder brother out in a daze.

Li Mingda also followed his two brothers out, but after a while he came back on his own.

The sunny and cheerful expression just now disappeared, and Princess Jinyang pouted and snorted.

For the first time, a look of doubt appeared on Empress Dowager Yang's calm face, and she asked with concern:

"Ah Sizi, what's wrong?"

"I don't like Xiao Ming... His Majesty Li Ming is like this. I don't like him instigating this war." Li Mingda said bluntly.

If Li Zhi was beside him, this sentence would definitely scare him to death, and he would add a complaint:
Sister Sizi, you really don't consider yourself an outsider. You dare to say such words...

Queen Mother Yang looked at her kindly and encouraged her with gentle eyes.

"It's not that I hate him being the emperor."

Li Mingda continued to confide:
"But he can obviously use a better way to ascend the throne. He can discuss it with the emperor. The emperor is not an unreasonable person. Or some other method.

“But he chose to launch a war brazenly, and it was a war involving the entire country.

"Thousands of people were killed or injured, and all lives were lost, all for the sake of a faction's own selfish agenda. I... really don't understand!"

She became more and more excited as she spoke, and in the end she almost shouted.

This matter has been stuck in her heart, and she can't help but express it.

"Is that so..." Empress Dowager Yang's eyes gradually softened, and she smiled gently:

"You are a good princess who cares about the country and the people.

"But politics... is one of the most treacherous things in the world, and it is difficult to distinguish true good and evil at a glance.

"Killing people can sometimes be a thunderbolt and a compassionate act. The founding of the Han and Tang dynasties was a journey of blood and corpses."

Li Mingda smiled bitterly: "I don't understand."

Seeing her lovely "daughter" lost, Queen Mother Yang also felt distressed and touched her head: "When Li Ming comes back, he will explain it to you clearly."

Li Mingda's mouth puffed up even more: "No, we clearly ran into each other in Puzhou, but he deliberately avoided me the whole time."

The corner of Empress Dowager Yang's mouth twitched slightly: "It won't happen this time, I promise you."

…………

"Two orioles are singing in the green willows, and a roast duck is walking along the ground.

"I am the roast duck, alas..."

Sitting on the boat going home, Li Ming lay on the railing with hesitation, just like a duck being rushed to Beijing for roasting.

To rule the world, true happiness comes only at the moment when the hammer is final.

After a brief burst of dopamine, all that remains is endless sage time.

How can we serve all the masters in the world and prevent them from causing trouble?

How to prevent subordinates from causing trouble?

How to prevent national accidents?

There were so many things to worry about that he had no time to enjoy the excitement of gaining the country.

After all, my identity in the past was more like a rebel king. No matter what went wrong, even if I couldn't poop, I could always put the blame on the other side.

It's all your fault, Don!
But now, when the Tang Dynasty is really gone and I have really become the emperor of the world.

He suddenly realized that he had nowhere to blame.

He is the first person in charge of his dynasty.

The tillers have no land because you have not done enough to crack down on the powerful; the rich are unequal because you do not know how to distribute wealth; bureaucracy, needless to say, is because of your lax administration.

Even if the wind is not blowing and the rain is not falling, it is because you do not practice moral governance, which has led to the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people.

Rights and obligations are dialectically unified. Since you are the supreme leader, you naturally have to take the most blame.

As the saying goes, the one who accepts the country's favor is the master of the country.

"Alas, why hasn't the rain come yet? If the southeast wind doesn't blow, we'll have to drink the northwest wind for the second half of the year..."

Li Ming bared his teeth at the clear sky.

At this time, Old Li Li Shimin leisurely walked out of the cabin, stretched lazily, looked at the clear sky, and sighed happily:
"Oh, this is the East China Sea? The sea and the sky are one color, and the waves are magnificent!"

The most economical route from Shanxi back to Liaodong is to take a boat down the Yellow River to the East China Sea, then turn northwest and cross the Bohai Sea to reach Pingzhou Port.

Li Ming looked at his cheap dad with resentment:

"What should we do if there is a severe drought and a poor harvest? In addition to building water conservancy projects and transferring grain for disaster relief, are there any other tricks to alleviate the disaster?"

Li Shimin looked down at his youngest son, his eyes full of gloating.

"That is your business. I have already abdicated, Your Majesty."

Li Ming turned red in a second.

Seeing the brat's frustrated look, Li Shimin couldn't help but burst into laughter and leaned over to whisper in his ear:
"Find your own way to govern the country. You asked for this, I didn't force you to do it."

"...Hmph!" Li Ming turned his head away, not wanting to pay attention to this irresponsible ex.

In a state of trepidation, Emperor Li Ming returned to his most loyal capital.

(End of this chapter)