On that day, Li Shimin ordered a large number of stocks to be printed and gave Li Min a week to complete the printing.
And that same afternoon.
Li Shimin and Queen Changsun said: "Queen, I haven't been to Cuiwei Hall for a long time, why don't you go with me tomorrow."
Cuiwei Palace is one of the royal palaces. It is located south of the ancient capital Xi'an, at the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains, southeast of Qinghua Mountain, and south of the Luanzhen Street Office in Chang'an District, Xi'an today. It is 19 kilometers away from the center of Chang'an and is located at the foot of Cuiwei Mountain.
1568 meters.
It is a palace with excellent scenery.
Li Shimin would go there to live for a period of time every year.
Therefore, when Li Shimin mentioned it, Queen Changsun immediately said: "Yes, Your Majesty, I will be together tomorrow."
"Okay, I will also ask a few ministers to go there and stay there for two days tomorrow!"
Everything is as Your Majesty intended.
Queen Changsun said.
Until the next morning, Li Shimin got up early. There was no morning meeting today, and he was already sitting in the car in advance, ready to set off.
Empress Changsun was also in the car at this time.
The car set off soon.
The destination is forty miles away and it takes half an hour to get there.
Along the way, looking at the scenery on both sides, it was already autumn.
Li Shimin was very emotional.
He looked at the scenery outside the car window and said nothing for a long time, and there were about ten cars following him.
When the car arrived at Cuiwei Palace, Li Shimin got out of the car and looked at the scenery outside Cuiwei Palace.
I can't help but sigh.
"When I see this scene, I want to recite a poem."
Officials encouraged him one after another.
Li Shimin said:
"Autumn Cuiwei Palace"
In autumn, the green mountains are covered with green, and the cool breeze blows in the palace.
The lotuses are sparse and the cover is missing, the trees are cold and half empty.
The side array moves the shadow, and the round flower nail chrysanthemum bushes.
Feeling outside the worldly dust, looking high into the white clouds."
The ministers around him were amazed and said that the poems written by Li Shimin were good poems.
The literal translation of this poem is, The autumn sunshine shines on the green mountains, giving people a sense of tranquility and warmth. The cool autumn wind blows gently in the solemn palace, making the atmosphere more solemn and solemn. The lotus leaves are sparse,
The coverage is incomplete and looks a bit messy, while the trees are coldly hidden in it, as if telling a half-empty existence.
The gusts of wind from the side move the silhouette of the swan, which is beautiful and elegant, while the round flowers nail the lush chrysanthemum bushes, outlining a beautiful picture. With otherworldly feelings in my heart, I look up high at the sky shrouded in white clouds, and let
My thoughts wander freely and I feel the tranquility and magnificence of nature.
At this time, Li Shimin was not in a good mood.
Otherwise, I would not have composed such a poem.
But no matter what, the ministers still said that this song was good.
Li Shimin's talent in poetry is also extremely high.
Then Li Shimin walked into the palace.
He looked at the scenery around him and seemed to remember something again.
The minister stood behind him.
At this time, Li Shimin said: "Since ancient times, although emperors have achieved greater success in pacifying the Central Plains, they have often been unable to completely subdue the northern tribes. Compared with the ancient emperors, my talents are far inferior to them, but I can achieve
More significant results. Regarding this issue, I did not clearly explain the reasons. Now I ask you to share your opinions frankly."
Li Shimin is giving everyone a difficult problem.
If he could do this, it was half because of Li Min.
But you can't say that.
Everyone should still follow his words.
Then, all the ministers began to say in unison: "Your Majesty's merits are equal to those of heaven and earth, and it is difficult to explain them in one word."
Everyone attributed all this to something that cannot be explained in words. Obviously, this statement cannot be recognized by Li Shimin.
But how could anyone possibly know what he was thinking.
So Li Shimin made it clear.
He said: "You don't understand me, and you don't mean it like this. I can do this only because of five reasons!"
The ministers and others all asked, what are the five reasons?
Li Shimin looked at the sky, then at Empress Changsun, and then said: "First, since ancient times, emperors have often been jealous of those who have abilities greater than themselves, but I can appreciate and see the strengths of others, just like myself.
!”
On this point, Li Shimin did really well.
He can take advantage of his ministers' strengths instead of being jealous of them.
No one spoke.
Li Shimin added: "Secondly, it is impossible for a person to be omniscient and omnipotent, and I am also like this, so I often use my strengths and avoid weaknesses to make up for my own shortcomings! This way I can improve myself!"
The second point is also true.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Third, the kings of the past brought in talented people just for their own selfish interests and rejected the incompetent with a grudge. But I have full respect for the talented people and compassion for the incompetent. Let everyone according to their own needs.
Only then can we get the position we deserve!”
Li Shimin went on to say: "Fourth, other kings often dislike upright people and tend to punish them openly and secretly. But since I came to the throne, upright ministers abound in the court, and I have never demoted or reprimanded anyone!"
"
"Also, traditionally, the emperors respected the Central Plains, but despised the Yi and Di tribes. However, I have always protected and cared for them, so their tribes relied on me like their parents. These five points are what I have achieved
The reason for today’s achievement.”
Li Shimin saw everyone and said nothing.
Obviously, he was still a little dissatisfied with everyone's performance.
So, he looked at Chu Suiliang beside him.
Chu Suiliang was born in the Chu family of Henan Province. He was erudite and proficient in literature and history. During the late Sui Dynasty, he followed Xue Ju, the overlord of the Western Qin Dynasty, and served as a general secretary. After returning to the Tang Dynasty, he was highly used by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty and served successively as an admonishment official, Huangmen Shilang, and Tirei.
He moved to the central government to write orders and take charge of the government.
He is one of the few talented people around Li Shimin.
"Chu Suiliang, you once served as a historian. Are what I said consistent with historical facts?"
Li Shimin asked this, maybe because he didn't know whether the five points he did were right or wrong.
So I asked Chu Suiliang.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Chu Suiliang thought for a while and then replied: "Your Majesty's virtues are unparalleled. Just basing your conclusion on these five points shows that Your Majesty is too modest."
This means that Li Shimin did more than just these five things, but also did more.
Li Shimin is still too modest.
But if we really care about it, then half of Li Shimin's achievement is due to Li Min.
It was Li Min who made Datang develop faster.
Only after the Tang Dynasty developed, the surrounding countries would be afraid.
Therefore, it became very easy for Li Shimin to pacify him.
At this point, Li Shimin didn't say much.
He continued to move forward.
At this time, he said to Chu Suiliang: "Chu Suiliang, how about the twelve chapters of "Emperor Fan" that I asked you to compile before?"
"Your Majesty, it has been sorted out." Chu Suiliang said.
The twelve chapters of "Emperor's Model" are respectively "The King's Body", "Establishing a Marriage", "Seeking Virtues", "Judgeing Officials", "Accepting Advice", "Removing Slander", "Jie Ying", "Advocating Thrift",
"Rewards and Punishments", "Farming", "Martial Arts", "Chongwen".
It was Li Shimin who compiled some of his views on the governance of the Tang Dynasty over the years into a book.
The reason why he did this was because he was worried about future generations.
Then he said: "The principles of self-cultivation and governing the country are all contained in these twelve articles. Once I pass away, there will be nothing else to say. This is also the knowledge I will leave to future generations."
He felt a little sad when he said this.
The prince has not yet been established. If Li Min becomes the emperor, Li Min will not need his twelve articles at all.
But Li Shimin also said: "If future generations come to the throne, they should take the ancient sages and saints as their teachers. Like me, it is not enough to imitate. The ancients said that if you imitate the superior, you will only be among the best. If you imitate the average, you will inevitably be inferior."
The ministers did not dare to speak, for fear of what Li Shimin would say next.
Unexpectedly, Li Shimin had no intention of stopping. He went on to say: "Since I came to the throne, I have made many mistakes. I have kept splendid pearls and jade in front of me, and I have kept building palaces, terraces and pavilions. Dogs, horses, eagles and falcons have to come to collect them no matter how far away they are."
, traveling around the world, causing trouble to people everywhere, these are my big faults, I hope you will never think it is correct and follow my example."
Queen Changsun asked at this time: "Your Majesty, what's wrong with you?"
Li Shimin ignored it, but went on to say: "In retrospect, I have brought great benefits to the people, and made great contributions to establishing the foundation of the Tang Dynasty. The benefits are great and the harm is small, so the people have no complaints; the contributions are great and the faults are small, so the king's industry is stable; however, if perfection is required,
, I’m really ashamed. If future generations don’t inherit my wealth without my hard work, and do their best to do good deeds, then the country will only be stable; if they are arrogant and lazy, they will not be able to protect themselves.”
No one knew what to say.
Chu Suiliang was also stunned there.
But Li Shimin had no intention of stopping yet. He continued:
"Success is hard-won, but failure can happen quickly, in the case of the country; it is easy to lose, but harder to gain, in the case of the throne. Can you not cherish it? Can you not be cautious!"
What Li Shimin said made people suspect that he was preparing for the next emperor.
"Chu Suiliang!"
"I'm here!"
"Can you remember what I just said?"
Chu Suiliang was stunned when he heard this.
Li Shimin said so much just now, how could he remember it?
He wanted to say, Your Majesty, please say it again.
But in the end, he didn't say it.
Just write it down from memory.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I am taking note now!" Chu Suiliang said immediately.
"Okay, okay!"
At this time, Queen Changsun asked again: "Your Majesty, why do you talk so much about governing the country?"
Yes, Li Shimin suddenly said this, which made everyone very confused.
This has never happened before.
"I have to prepare these things for future generations in advance. Otherwise, how will we be able to educate future generations a hundred years from now?"
What Li Shimin said seems to be reasonable.
It's impossible to refute.
"Your Majesty, this..."
Queen Changsun was a little worried.
"Queen, there is nothing wrong with me. I just suddenly remembered that the position of crown prince must be established. Otherwise, in a few years, there may be changes."
Yes, it will be beneficial for a prince to be established early or late.
There are two benefits to the prince's early establishment:
First, by stabilizing the order of succession, establishing a prince early can prevent disputes and chaos in the succession process and ensure the smooth succession of the throne.
The second is education and training. The early establishment of the prince means that he can have a longer period of education and training to prepare for his future role as a monarch.
However, there may also be some problems with the early establishment of a prince.
Because the prince is appointed too early, if the prince is appointed at a young age, it will cause childishness and incompetence. If the prince is too young and unable to perform the duties of a monarch, it may lead to political instability and difficulties in national governance.
This point is actually reflected in Li Chengqian.
A good deck of cards was ruined by him.
The second point is that the prince has close trust in powerful ministers. When the prince is young, the powerful ministers may interfere with the government, making it impossible for the prince to truly hold power and affect the development and governance of the country.
That's why Li Shimin had so many emotions.
He also wanted to establish a prince early.
If Li Min hadn't been the emperor, someone else would have been the prince. Now his main candidates have all gone to the Shengtang Group.
Only a few people born later are suitable.
Nowadays, these people are young and not qualified for big positions.
But he, Li Shimin, was very anxious.
You just have to prepare in advance.
When a prince is established, the emperor usually clears up some relationships for the prince before moving to the throne. Some ministers who threaten the prince's accession to the throne will usually be cleared.
This is also what the former emperor can do for the next emperor.
There are several main aspects to cultivating a prince.
The first is education and training, ensuring that the prince receives comprehensive education and training, including knowledge and skills in politics, military, economics, etiquette, etc. This can lay the foundation for the prince to become a qualified monarch. This is very important. The emperor must govern the country well.
, knowledge is the most important.
The second is to provide the prince with practical administrative and management experience. You can accumulate experience by allowing the prince to participate in national affairs, observe various meetings and decision-making processes, and assign the prince to take on some specific responsibilities.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! For example, if the prince supervises the country, he can do it. At that time, Li Chengqian had already supervised the country, but Li Shimin taught him more step by step.
Now that Li Shimin is still alive, if he waits for Li Shimin to grow old, he will have to deal with this matter a few years earlier.
The third thing is to provide the prince with a good support system. The prince is not the former emperor, so he generally does not have the strength to survive.
Therefore, he needs to have a strong support team, including trustworthy prime ministers, important ministers, and loyal family members. They can help the prince handle affairs, provide consultation, and maintain the prince's authority.
The fourth point is prestige. If a prince does not have prestige, he will have no mass base!
Therefore, before the prince becomes emperor, he needs to win the recognition and support of the people. He needs to win widespread public support and trust by participating in charity, paying attention to people's livelihood, and demonstrating benevolence and leadership.
The fifth point is the need for a strong strategic alliance.
Before the prince becomes emperor, the former emperor must consolidate diplomatic relations for him and establish mutually beneficial relationships with influential domestic and foreign forces to ensure that he can receive sufficient support and a stable international environment after he succeeds to the throne.
Finally, there is strategic wisdom, which is very important. Without this, the prince will not be crowned king for long.
If the prince does not have certain strategic wisdom, is not good at analyzing situations, formulating policies, and making wise decisions at critical moments, he will be a waste.
Even if he becomes emperor, it is very likely that he will be purged.
It can be said that Li Shimin is worried about his successor.