It was night, and the Daming Palace in Chang'an was shrouded in a dark shadow. The breeze blows, the grass and trees sway, which makes people reverie.

In the imperial study, Li Shimin sat steadily behind the rosewood table, and looked at the handwriting on the fold with full attention by the dim oil light on the table. With the slight movement of the red pen, lines of vigorous and powerful handwriting suddenly appeared in the blank space.

"Your Majesty, it's the second watch." Guo Bin, the chief eunuch who had been standing beside him, saw that the uncorrected recitals were getting smaller and smaller, so he reminded in a low voice, "It's going to be early tomorrow, it's time to rest." ”

"Not busy." Li Shimin said without raising his head, "Wait until I finish reading all these recitals." ”

Due to the poor health of the former emperor, this batch of reading and folding was undertaken as early as when Li Shimin was still the king of Qin. Since he ascended the throne and became the lord of the Tang Dynasty, he did not dare to slack off on the government and politics, and he had to be busy almost every day until the sky was white before he could take a nap.

"Your Majesty, although you are the true son of the dragon, after all, this body is still made of meat." Guo Bin saw that Li Shimin refused to rest, so he persuaded him bitterly, "If you keep staying up like this, you will collapse sooner or later." ”

When Li Shimin heard this, a warmth suddenly appeared in his heart. He raised his head and looked at Guo Bin silently.

When Guo Bin saw the emperor behaving like this, he mistakenly thought that he had said the wrong thing and made the emperor unhappy, so he lowered his head in confusion and stopped talking.

"Guo Bin, how long have you been with me?" After a while, Li Shimin spoke.

Guo Bin didn't expect the emperor to ask himself like this, he was stunned at first, then raised his head, and said with a little surprise:

"The slave has followed the emperor since he was fourteen years old, and it has been twelve years now."

"Twelve years?" Li Shimin squinted his eyes and said thoughtfully, "It's been a long time. ”

After speaking, he moved his gaze to the cyan wall opposite him, and his expression became extremely desolate, as if it was not a simple physical object, but his past.

After being silent for a long time, Li Shimin said quietly:

"Guo Bin, since you have been with me for so long, I believe you have heard of all kinds of situations in the palace. As you said, I am also a physical body. If this is the case, how can you not be sleepy? Not tired? The reason why this is so is only because I dare not sleep. ”

Guo Bin's face showed a deep dazedness. Although he has been by the emperor's side for so many years, he still doesn't understand the meaning of these words.

At this moment, Guo Bin only felt that there were many question marks in his heart.

Why did the emperor say that he didn't dare to sleep? Isn't sleeping the happiest thing in the world? Why are there still people who dare not sleep?

Thinking that when the emperor was still the king of Qin before, he often couldn't help but doze off outside the window when he was studying in the academy with him, Guo Bin actually had a deep sense of self-blame.

Li Shimin saw that Guo Bin didn't speak for a long time, so he moved his eyes to him. Seeing that the other party was looking at him with puzzled eyes, he suddenly felt a little desolate in his heart, and said with a wry smile:

"You must be wondering why I dare not sleep when I am the Son of Heaven, right? Guo Bin, do you know? I really envy you sometimes, you can live such a carefree life. ”

Carefree......?!

When Guo Bin heard this, he couldn't help but feel very sad in his heart. I didn't expect that he was 'carefree' in the eyes of the emperor, but who knew the pain in his heart.

If it wasn't for the fact that the family was too poor at that time, it really wouldn't have been able to open the pot. How could my father and mother be ruthless and send him to the palace to be castrated as a housekeeper?

Although it is now driven by fate to reach today's position, it has everything that is enviable. However, as long as he thinks that he will not be able to marry and have children like other normal men in this life, and build his own happy little family, he will still feel a strong sentimentality.

If he had a choice, Guo Bin would rather choose that poverty than live like he does now.

"Your Majesty, in fact, I ....." Thinking of this, he muttered in a low voice, "Actually, I am not as carefree as you think, and I still have some regrets in my heart." It's just that this person is happy for a day, and unhappy for a day. Anyway, there is no choice, so it is better to make yourself silly. ”

Although Guo Bin's voice was very small, and his attitude towards speaking was extremely vague, every word was still deeply engraved in Li Shimin's heart, making him feel like he had been empowered by the fog of his soul.

"Guo Bin, you're right." Li Shimin's body was originally leaning forward slightly, but when he heard this, he couldn't help but straighten up. While looking Guo Bin up and down, he said, "This person really should make himself happy, and he can't be burdened by those irreparable things forever." Since you are willing to put your heart into me, then I will tell you the truth. The reason why I don't dare to sleep is because I have been through so much before. The death of General Zishu, the non-farewell of Lord Yuan, and the fratricide of Xuanwumen...... This pile, piece by piece, is like a rope all the time tightly strangled in my heart, and there is a feeling of wanting to suffocate anytime and anywhere. Whenever I tried to sleep, these people appeared in front of my eyes like shadows, and no matter how I got rid of them, I couldn't get rid of them. ”

Speaking of this, Li Shimin only felt that his heart was pressing on a heavy boulder, making him breathless.

With a long sigh, he closed his eyes helplessly.

Someone once said that in the tall and majestic palace courtyard, there is a bloody past hidden under every brick. Li Shimin, who has just passed the year of his establishment, has a particularly profound understanding of this statement.

In that year, with the assistance of Yuan Tiangang, the secretary of the Imperial Heavenly Prison, and Shu Jiangyuan, the general, he faced the fierce offensive of the crown prince Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, the king of Qi, and embarked on the road to imperial power step by step after a difficult struggle to taste courage and endure humiliation.

Now, after experiencing the impermanence of the world, these people have died and scattered, and disappeared into his world like a passing cloud, never to return.

Where can we meet again than in a dream?

and Yang Jie'er, who has become a monk in the Jinguang Temple on the outskirts of the city at this moment, is the most beloved woman in his life. There are too many emotional entanglements between the two, and in the end, after the vicissitudes of the world, they can only get a helpless sigh.

Every time I think of this, even if Li Shimin is a hard-hearted person, I am afraid that it is difficult to endure the torment in his heart, how can he sleep peacefully?

Guo Bin looked at Li Shimin silently, although he didn't know where the emperor's heart knot was. But looking at it like this, he also knew that the other party's heart must be extremely sad.

"Your Majesty, there is a saying that the slave doesn't know whether to say it or not." Guo Bin blinked, and then patiently persuaded him, "It is said that the heart depends on the heart medicine, but if you really can't find the heart medicine, why don't you let it go." Maybe I'll feel a lot better. ”

The heart depends on the heart medicine ......?!

Guo Bin's words suddenly opened the door of his heart that had been locked for a long time like a key, Li Shimin suddenly opened his eyes, sat up straight, and said without thinking:

"Guo Bin, tomorrow I won't be early, you accompany me to a place."

Yes?

When Guo Bin heard this, he was shocked. In his impression, although the emperor is young, he has always done things decently, and he has never been so impulsive.

"Your Majesty, isn't this okay?" Guo Bin smiled bitterly, "If Wei Xiang can't see you, he will definitely make a fuss again." ”

In the eyes of the courtiers, Wei Zheng's temper has always been strong, especially that sharp mouth has become the supreme artifact that defeats the invincible opponents in the world. If the emperor does not go to court, it will 100% cause an uproar, and maybe it will depend on his own head.

Who knows, Li Shimin only frowned slightly, and said impatiently: "If he wants to make trouble, let him make trouble, and this matter is decided." Okay, you go to the door first, and I'm going to hurry up and correct it. ”

Guo Bin saw that the emperor's mind had been decided, so he had no choice but to respond. Seeing that Li Shimin continued to bow his head and correct the folds, he no longer paid attention to himself, so he had to turn around and walk slowly to the outside of the study. Then, he gently closed the door.