"You-" Li Ji froze and sighed helplessly. Hou Junji was silent for a long time, and after a while, he said: "As the secretary of the military department, such a big thing has happened, I have to write a letter to Your Majesty to explain this matter." ”

"It's right, general, please."

Hou Junji turned to leave, Li Ji took Li Mu's hand and said, "Li Mu, I think you are a smart person, why are you so confused!" This is the way to die, what kind of person Your Majesty is, don't you know? What he wants to build is a great cause, and he will not indulge you indefinitely! ”

"Father-in-law, I'll tell you the truth." Li Mu sighed and was silent for a while, and after a while, he leaned into Li Ji's ear and muttered.

Li Ji's eyes almost popped out: "What did you say?" Your Majesty knows about you and the king...... Ah! How can you be so bold! ”

"I asked Grandpa Gao to leak it out."

"You?!" Li Ji looked at Li Mu in disbelief, if it weren't for Li Mu's indifferent tone when he spoke, he would have thought that Li Mu had gone crazy.

"Paper can't hold the fire, it's better to let Your Majesty know sooner than later. I only hope that Your Majesty will spare my life for the sake of the little credit I have made. Spare my family—"

Li Mu sighed and said, "Father-in-law, I have dealt with His Majesty since I arrived in Chang'an, how can I not know what kind of person he is?" Your Majesty has a good face, but he is affectionate, he may kill me for a woman, but he will not kill the heroes - I helped Your Majesty formulate a salt mine plan, reform the Tianfu policy, and this time helped Datang destroy Gaochang, and was ruthless, so that Gaochang has no possibility of recovering the country, Your Majesty may blame me for the wrong way of doing things, but if he thinks about it carefully, he will know that I am taking all the stigma on myself, but it has opened the door for Datang to control the Western Regions and reduced countless troubles. A few points of merit and a few points of error, Your Majesty has a number in his heart. ”

"In addition, I have also arranged the regulations for the affairs of the Internal Affairs Bureau, although it may not be possible without me in a short period of time, but in the future, after the eldest Sun Chong and others have grown up, they can all take charge of themselves, and the Internal Affairs Office can be without me. I deliberately muddied the waters of the Internal Affairs Office and let people from all forces participate in it, just to make the Internal Affairs Office not controlled by any force, but only to His Majesty and to the imperial power. In the future, if His Majesty can use it properly, the imperial court will have two sets of teams, in normal times, three provinces and six departments, and in emergencies, the Internal Affairs Office can also replace the three provinces and six departments, so that Your Majesty can be like an arm and a finger, without containment. ”

Li Mu sighed and said: "Although I have not explained these arrangements to Your Majesty, there is a tacit understanding between me and Your Majesty, otherwise Your Majesty would not be so indulgent to me." I have done so many things for Your Majesty, and I believe that Your Majesty will not let me down, and will spare me and my whole family's lives. ”

Li Ji felt uncomfortable when he heard this, and couldn't help but say: "Li Mu, it's not for your father to accuse you, you are really confused." For the sake of a woman, you have a great future, do you know that if you don't provoke her, in another ten or twenty years, there will be no one in this court to restrain you. Your Majesty trusts you, the old minister is afraid of you, the new emperor is your disciple, you are the only one in the world, your status will be greater than that of the eldest grandson Wuji, and you should really be above ten thousand people under one person——"

"Father-in-law!" Li Mu interrupted Li Ji's words, and said, "Is it your father-in-law that you don't understand, or do I not understand?" On the day you said it, do you think I'll still be alive? ”

"This ......" Li Ji was stunned for a moment, suddenly woke up and understood. Yes, the side of the couch does not allow others to snore, Li Mu's ability is too outstanding, and several sons of His Majesty the Emperor today, including the famous Li Tai, are all dimmed under his light. If that day really comes, Li Shimin can't guarantee that he won't worry, if he returns to heaven, whether the world can be passed on to his son.

Li Mu smiled bitterly: "Father-in-law, I am a person with no ambitions. If I had a choice, I would rather retire early and be a rich man in the land of birds and flowers in the south of the Yangtze River. But if I don't retreat, I'm afraid that one day, I won't be able to retreat, and I think my father-in-law can understand this concern in my heart. ”

Li Ji nodded heavily and said, "I understand what you mean, you did the right thing, you did the right thing-"

Li Mu took a deep breath and said, "So I want to ask my father-in-law to help me, and ask my father-in-law to believe that I have thought about everything carefully, and I will never do it wantonly." After surviving this experience and returning to Chang'an, it is the time for me to 'resign myself to fate', as long as His Majesty is willing to let me go, I will be freed, and I will ask my father-in-law to fulfill it. ”

"Son, you and I, father and son, say this and see the outside. What you want to do, your father-in-law will help you, I just hope that you can kill less, less. ”

"I understand."

Li Ji sighed and left, Mu Li let out a long sigh, looking at the Gaochang Palace that was caught in the firelight, and his heart was also complicated and unspeakable. He didn't know what his fate would be, and maybe it would be like the palace in front of him, no matter how magnificent it was before, it would eventually turn into dust.

……

The fire in the palace was extinguished for three days, and in these three days, all the people of Gaochang had already received the settlement fee issued by the Tang Dynasty. At first, there were still people who were skeptical, but as more and more people successfully received it, the people became emboldened. Moreover, it is easier to receive this settlement fee. You only need to report your name and age, what skills you have mastered, and simply verify it, and you can receive a different amount of settling-in allowance.

That's right, this settling-in fee is shared. The stronger and stronger you are, the more skilled you are, and the more you will receive a settling-in allowance. But it's not that there is no craftsmanship, the old ones don't have it, at least less, and even some people who don't want to belong to the Tang Dynasty can also receive a few dollars of 'severance pay', and after receiving this money, they can leave Gaochang, and no one cares where they go, but they are not allowed to come back.

Although this is also very domineering, don't forget that the current situation is that the Gaochang Kingdom has fallen. According to the rules of this era, even if all the people in Gaochang are reduced to slaves, it is also the proper meaning of the question. If the Turks had taken Gaochang, they would have done so. Datang did the opposite, and this alone won a reputation for benevolence and righteousness.

But these reputations have not been able to touch Li Mu's body. I don't know who came out first, in the mouth of the people of Gaochang, Li Mu is not called Zhuluhou, nor is he called Li Mu, but is called 'bloody hand slaughter', has achieved the effect of children's cries, in the hearts of the people who have not seen him, he is a three-headed and six-armed hateful face, cannibalistic flesh and drinking human blood, and some people say that he eats three virgins every morning and three virgins at night, as if he is no longer a person, he is a demon.