The aftermath

Author: Sibuqiu

The aftermath

At this time, Li Jiancheng actually knew that his fate was over. He just looked at Li Xiuning and said, "Sister, you lied to me. How can you bear to lie to me?"

"Bishamon, I didn't lie to you. It's useless to talk more, so just go ahead and capture him."

Li Jiancheng suddenly burst into tears, knelt down in front of Li Yuan, and said with a prostrate expression, "Father, I know I was wrong. Please spare me this time."

Before Li Yuan could say anything, he heard Dou Ma sigh, "If I had known this, why would I do it in the first place? Not to mention you, Xiuning, Shimin, and Yuanji's mother, even brothers and sisters should not be like this, Bishamon

, you have gone too far."

"I know I was wrong. Please forgive me this time. Please forgive me this time." Li Jiancheng kept kowtowing on the ground.

Mother Dou turned around, ignored Li Jiancheng, and walked toward the back of the palace, "Grandma Li, you taught me a good son. You can handle it yourself. I'm tired."

The ministers behind Li Yuan collectively bowed and saluted, "Best farewell to the Queen."

And Li Xiuning said to He Panli who came from Xuanwu Gate, "Gather the people to clean up the Changlin Army here. By the way, clean up the blood on your body, and then send people to Chengqian Palace and Prince Qi's Mansion to tell them.

For those who seek profit in Qiu, no one is allowed to cause trouble without the orders of the Holy One and me."

He Panli's armor was bloody and broken in several places, and his face showed the uncontrollable fatigue after fighting. Hearing Li Xiuning's words, he perked up. He hurriedly crossed his hands and said, "Here."

Just when He Panli commanded his guards to clean up the Changlin Army in front of the Wude Hall, Li Shimin brought Li Jing, Li Shiji, Qin Qiong, Yu Chi, Gong Yaojin and others to the Wude Hall. Seeing the appearance in front of the hall, Li Shimin's face changed.

After a sudden change, I felt relieved when I saw that Li Yuan and Li Xiuning were safe and sound.

Li Yuan looked at Li Yuanji who was held in Cheng Yaojin's hand and couldn't help but frowned.

"The prince lost his virtue, was demoted to a commoner, and was imprisoned in the clan's mansion, and then fell into disgrace. King Yuanji of Qi was perverse and tyrannical, acted against the will of the emperor, assisted Zhou in his abuses, deprived him of the throne, and was forced into the clan's mansion together."

Then some guards came forward and dragged away Li Jiancheng, who was still kowtowing on the ground. He Panli walked up to Cheng Yaojin and signaled Cheng Yaojin to hand over Li Yuanji. Cheng Yaojin put Li Yuanji on the ground, and He Panli handed over his hand.

, sent several imperial guards to escort Li Yuanji towards the direction of the clan mansion.

Li Yuan said to everyone, "I'm tired. Sirs, do you have anything else to say?"

The three princes and ministers behind him, as well as Li Shimin and others at the foot of the steps, did not dare to speak, but they heard Li Xiuning say, "Father, the court cannot be without a crown prince for a day. Now that the prince has been deposed, the people in the court are unavoidably panicked. Please, father."

Decide on the heir apparent as soon as possible."

Li Yuan flew into a rage and shouted at Li Xiuning, "I said I'm tired. You and I are not the only ones to know the important matters of our family and country, so we're all gone."

Everyone looked at each other and bowed to Li Yuan and stepped back. Li Yuan ignored everyone and turned around and walked towards the main hall.

Li Shimin's eyes flashed with a trace of disappointment, and the generals behind him also had different expressions.

Li Xiuning smiled, gave Li Shimin a reassuring look, and said to Li Shimin, "I will leave the aftermath to you. Remember, don't have the idea of ​​eradicating the roots. I have other plans for Jiancheng and Yuanji."

"If you hear that your men are going to Chengqian Palace and Prince Qi's Mansion to cause trouble, don't blame me for turning your back on them. If you want to be a monarch, you must have the magnanimity and responsibility of a monarch. Don't learn the skills of an emperor and harm others and yourself in this way.

, it’s always more gain than loss.”

Li Shimin knew in his heart that Li Xiuning's words were not only addressed to himself, but also to the people behind him. Perhaps Yu Chigong's words in front of the Xuanwu Gate just now made Li Xiuning have a grudge against him.

But how did my sister know? Yu Chigong's proposal just now really made me feel a little excited. I was glad that I didn't agree to Yu Chigong just now, otherwise it would be too late for me to regret it now.

Then I heard Li Xiuning say, "I tell you, although I am a daughter, I am also a master who spits and nails. I will protect the family members of the prince and King Qi, and I will also protect the lives of the prince and King Qi."

Come on, stop your thoughts that you shouldn’t have, and assist King Qin well. That’s the right way to go."

Everyone was stunned, looking at Li Xiuning as if he was joking, they all nodded in agreement.

"Although a king becomes a king or a bandit loses, you have to look at who is the king and what is the bandit. Second brother, this bandit is also your brother. Don't leave you with the bad reputation of killing your brothers and brothers in the annals of history in the future."

"My sister's teachings should be kept in mind by the people of the world." After listening to Li Xiuning's words, Li Shimin crossed his arms and bowed to Li Xiuning and said.

Li Xiuning turned around, slowly climbed up the steps, and walked step by step towards Wude Hall.

Her figure was not very tall, but it gave everyone at the foot of the steps a great sense of intimidation. She was worthy of being the first female war goddess of the Tang Dynasty, and she actually had an aura that no man had ever had before.

After everyone left the Wude Hall, Changsun Wuji, who was behind the team, quietly pulled at Yuchi Gong, "Didn't I tell you to ask King Qin to quickly arrange for people to go to Chengqian Palace and Prince Qi's Mansion? If the roots are not removed, the spring breeze will grow again.

There will be endless troubles. Now that Princess Pingyang has spoken, it is indeed more difficult to do."

Yuchi Gong had a bitter smile on his face, "Do you think I didn't say it? Do you think I didn't do it? I already reminded King Qin in front of Xuanwu Gate just now. If King Qin doesn't want to, what can I do?"

"I advise you to give up this idea. The second brother Qin in front of Xuanwu Gate told me that Princess Pingyang has sent Qiu Xingli, a veteran of the Women's Army, Li Shentong and others to Chengqian Palace and Prince Qi's Mansion to protect the Crown Prince and Prince Qi's family. If

It's hard to say whether you and I can gain anything by attacking Chengqian Palace and Prince Qi's Palace, but we will definitely offend Princess Pingyang, and the gain will outweigh the loss."

"Although most of the generals in the Detachment of Women are close to the King of Qin, when it comes to the reserve position, these people are always neutral. Offending neutral forces for no reason is harmful to us."

Changsun Wuji couldn't help but frown and said, "What does Princess Pingyang mean? She is scheming against the prince and helping the prince at the same time. She is also a person who fights in the field of life and death. Doesn't she know that if you hit a snake and you don't die, you will suffer from it instead."

"

"After all, Her Royal Highness the Princess is an immortal descended to earth. It is no longer something that we mortals can speculate on. Although I, Lao Hei, like to perform meritorious deeds, I must also consider the gains and losses, cause and effect, and interests involved. It's not that I don't want to, but that I can't do it." Yu Chigong.

Said, "I'm sorry."

Changsun Wuji nodded, "This matter can only end here. Alas, there are some things that it is not convenient for King Qin to come forward, so you and I still need to do it for him."

"You'd better be more careful." Yu Chigong said, "I know what you're thinking, but sometimes you still have to give up when you're ready. As the saying goes, it's better to yell than to go too far."

Perhaps because the two of them had been muttering behind each other for a long time, Li Shimin looked back. When they saw Li Shimin's eyes looking at them, they stopped talking and followed the large procession out of the palace.

——

In front of Wude Hall, Wang De said to Li Xiuning who was about to enter the hall, "General, the saint is a little depressed and not in a good mood. Please be more careful, General."

Li Xiuning nodded, "The prince is still alive, do you have any regrets in your heart? I already know what happened to you. If it weren't for Bishamon's blind command, you wouldn't have been so seriously injured. But it's my fault as a general."

"What did the general say? In troubled times, human life is as cheap as grass. It's good to be able to survive. Now even more so in this palace, with no worries about food and clothing, the villain is already very content." Wang De said, "

Now that the prince has been deposed, the villain feels that it is enough. In this palace, the villain has actually figured out that for some nobles, keeping his life and letting him lose all power is worse than killing him with a knife.

It makes him feel despair and pain even more."

"You are being biased." Li Xiuning paused, "I don't want you to live in hatred, nor do I want you to become more paranoid and crazy because of hatred. People in my women's army must be aboveboard.

, you can pick it up and put it down.”

"Back then, Bishamon made you lose your incense, but as a sister, I can't help you. I heard that you are the only one left in your family. I have discussed it with He Panli. He still has a bastard in his family. Because he is a bastard,

He still has a headache how to arrange it. I have also seen this child. He is young and smart. He is willing to adopt this child to you and inherit the incense for you. Now your two families will become one family. In the past, we fought the enemy side by side on the battlefield. Now,

We are a family, which is a good story."

Li Xiuning said, "This is also my wishful thinking. If you don't want to, I won't force you to do anything, so just let it go."

"Old He, why is this so hard? General, why is this so hard? With my broken body, how can I not be unwilling? Wang De thanked the general here, but he was just afraid that this child would bear the reputation of being a eunuch, and would not be able to do anything to him.

It will be unfavorable in the future." Wang De smiled bitterly.

"What happens after the eunuch? Isn't it Cao Ah Man? A person's origin does not mean everything. Tai Shigong once said, do princes and generals have the right to be in love?" Li Xiuning said with a smile, "This is not a worry. With your performance this time

With merit, it is not difficult to give your children a good background."

Wang De fell to his knees with a plop, "I thank the general for his great kindness. I and my descendants will be loyal to the Tang Dynasty and have no regrets. However, I cannot hold the emperor hostage to Cao A to hide from the princes."

"It's a joke, but you should take it seriously." Li Xiuning said, "Get up. I want to go in to talk to my father about something. No one else is allowed in."

Wang De bowed and said, "I obey, little man."

After Li Xiuning entered the Wude Hall, he looked up and saw Li Yuan sitting slumped behind the desk, holding his forehead with his hand, with indescribable sadness and decline on his face.

"Pingyang, do you think my father is a failure? Of the four legitimate sons, the eldest is ruthless, the second is hypocritical, the third died young, and the fourth is cruel and tyrannical. Do you think I am a good father?"

Before Li Xiuning could speak, Li Yuan continued, "The eldest son is the eldest son. Since ancient times, abolishing the eldest son and establishing the younger son has been the way to bring disaster. However, the second son's contribution has been so great that he cannot be rewarded or given a title. The eldest son can no longer do it.

To suppress the ambition and power of the second child, what do you think I should do?"

Li Xiuning couldn't help but think, is this what Li Yuan is saying? The emperor's mind is about balance and decisiveness. Any existence that threatens his imperial power will definitely nip the danger in the cradle.

Li Jiancheng is the prince. Although he does not have much power, he has the support of aristocratic families behind him. Wouldn't Li Yuan be worried? Prince Jiancheng will one day unite with the aristocratic families to oust him?

Therefore, Li Er was pushed out to compete with the boss Li Jiancheng. Although he was following the trend, it was difficult to guarantee that he was not keeping a balanced mind. Otherwise, most of the military power and generals would not be handed over to the second brother.

Although Li Yuan said he felt sorry for his son, only he himself knew what kind of thoughts he had.

"It is meaningless to talk about these things now." Li Yuan laughed at himself, "There is another thing that my father is very sad about, but he hesitates to tell you."

"Father, is there anything you can't say?"

"Today, an official of the Zheng family in Xingyang submitted a letter in a secret box. In it, he said that Prince Jiancheng had committed many crimes, including arrogance and lewdness, filth in the harem, and cruelty and cruelty. One of the articles was even more outrageous and outraged by both humans and gods." Li Yuan's face turned red.

Maybe he was too excited.

Li Xiuning chuckled, "You're just a stickler for the wind. It's just adding insult to injury and pushing the wall down. It's not trustworthy."

Li Yuan rubbed his swollen brows and said to Li Xiuning, "This matter is related to you. It is what Crown Princess Zheng said. The time, place, and people all correspond to each other. I can't help but believe it."

"Zheng Guanyin?" A beautiful face appeared in Li Xiuning's mind. "This Xingyang Zheng family really has no shame. She even gave up when her eldest daughter said she would give up. This wealthy family is really cold-blooded and ruthless."

"It's so important that I have no choice but to believe it." After Li Yuan finished speaking, he picked up a memorial from the desk. "In the sixth year of Wude, Princess Li Xiuning of Pingyang accidentally suffered from wind disease. The prince sent someone to poison the decoction. The reason was that Princess Pingyang Zhao advised your majesty.

The King of Qin was sent to Luoyang to open a palace and build a government office."

"What?!" Li Xiuning was immediately furious. Although Li Jiancheng in this world was not particularly close to him, this brat actually poisoned Princess Pingyang. He was worse than a beast.
To be continued...