Although the two gentlemen and ministers "talked" for half a night, they never broke the topic. Li Shimin did not say which prince he preferred, and Fang Xuanling did not ask.

In fact, one of the most important reasons why Li Shimin talked about these heartfelt words with Fang Xuanling was Fang Xuanling's position. Now, the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty all have their own positions and camps, either overtly or covertly, or are vassalized with the eldest grandson Wuji and the Wei Wang group; Or stand with the military and be optimistic about Li Ke. There were also some people who stood in Li Zhi's camp when the king of Jin was in charge of the country very early, but when the eldest grandson Wuji "left the group", he took away many "group members", and the remaining few were not many in number and not loud, and there were no people who really held real power or great influence.

Only Fang Xuanling, he did not lean towards any prince. Although he was the commander-in-chief of logistics during the Battle of Pingbo and had an extremely close relationship with the military, he never expressed any opinion on the issue of Lichu and always remained silent and neutral.

The reason for this is none other than his identity. Once, Fang Xuanling was entrusted by the eldest grandson Empress and was determined to assist the former prince Li Chengqian. When Li Chengqian fell, if it weren't for Li Shimin personally coming forward to protect him (taking him to the palace to recuperate with him), I am afraid that Fang Xuanling, like Hou Junji, would have been liquidated and excluded in that **. Now that he is still standing on top of the court, Fang Xuanling has never participated in any disputes related to the establishment of the prince.

Li Shimin deeply understands what kind of discipline and morality Fang Xuanling has. The idea of "loyal ministers don't care about the two masters" was deeply ingrained in Fang Xuanling's mind. From the day he accepted the eldest grandson's empress Tuogu to assist Li Chengqian, just like Zhuge Liang assisting Adou, knowing that he was a mediocre master, he "bowed to his best and died before himself", and would rather die than regret it.

However, the will of heaven is difficult to disobey, and Li Chengqian, who has committed many injustices and self-destroyed the Great Wall, seems to have fallen. After that, it was absolutely impossible for Fang Xuanling to throw himself into any camp and shout.

It is precisely because of this that Fang Xuanling has become the most trusted person in Li Shimin now, and Li Shimin dares to discuss the matter of establishing a prince with him. In other words, anyone else must have scruples or selfishness.

The sky was already slightly bright, and it was time for Fang Xuanling to hand over the shift. Li Shimin invited him to have breakfast with him before leaving. The two monarchs and ministers arrived at the Wude Palace, and the palace people arranged breakfast for the two to enjoy.

Li Shimin decided to tell Fang Xuanling some things that he had endured all night and didn't say.

"Xuan Ling, I have one thing, like a stalk in my throat, I don't vomit unpleasantly." Li Shimin said.

Fang Xuanling knew that it was a big deal, put down his chopsticks and arched his hand: "Your Majesty, please speak." ”

"I'm thinking that no matter who I appoint as the crown prince now, in a hundred years, there will definitely be a fight between my sons." Li Shimin's thick eyebrows were tightly locked, and his expression was serious and with a hint of pain, "The last thing I want to see is brothers killing each other...... Therefore, I intend to put an end to this aftermath in my lifetime! - I just want to ask you now, who of my three sons, Li Tai, Li Ke and Li Zhi, is most likely to do such a thing? ”

"This! ......" Fang Xuanling's body was shocked, and his face changed.

Who dares to answer such a question!

Li Shimin smiled bitterly and waved his hand, "Then let's change the question, among these three, who is the most filial and generous?" ”

This time, Fang Xuanling smiled bitterly, and he arched his hand and said: "Your Majesty, knowing your son Mo Ruo's father, does Your Majesty still need to ask Weichen?" ”

Li Shimin nodded, "I know that Li Zhi, the king of Jin, has the most gentle temperament and is generous and generous by nature. But his qualifications are blunt, timid, and cowardly, and he has no foundation and background in the court. I am worried that he will not be able to control the court in the future, which will breed ambitious ministers who are in power and oppose the government and the opposition, and corrupt the society. ”

Fang Xuanling smiled slightly, "Your Majesty, isn't it his deepest foundation and biggest backstage?" - Weichen makes an inappropriate analogy, aside from the rest, if you only talk about the backstage and foundation, in fact, Hugh said that it is the king of Jin, even if he catches an ordinary man in the market to be the prince, as long as His Majesty is in charge, he is still worried that he has no foundation and backstage? All of this can be done in the course of years, months, and days. ”

Fang Xuanling's words can be said to be a perfect answer. On the surface, he has no opinion on the establishment of the crown prince of Jin; At a deeper level, he is expressing his position - everyone is the same, the emperor is your son!

Li Shimin also put down his chopsticks, reached out and pressed his forehead, and said: "Originally, when the Battle of Pingbo had not started a few years ago, I did consider making the King of Jin the crown prince, and let him be a king of success to continue the style of Zhenguan. With you and the auxiliary ministers to assist him, I can rest assured. But now the situation is different, the Tang Dynasty pacified Tubo and opened up the Western Regions, the north settled the grassland, and it is possible to enter Goryeo eastward in the future. Datang's territory has almost doubled, which means that in the next few decades, or even hundreds of years, Datang will have to bear a lot of military pressure from its neighbors. In other words, today's Datang has been involved in many disputes and cannot extricate itself. Originally, the task of national integration within us was quite arduous, and it was impossible to thoroughly perfect it in the next thirty or fifty years. In this environment, Datang is like sailing against the current, and if it does not advance, it will retreat. If my successors do not want to forge ahead and stick to the rules, then the Tang Dynasty will inevitably decline. During this period, if there is any chaos and internal strife within the government and the opposition, it will not only be impossible to hold on, but it is also unknown whether the world is in chaos and the society has fallen! ”

"Your Majesty's eyes are like torches, far-sighted, and you are very worried!" Fang Xuanling said with admiration, "Due to the wars in recent years, the Tang Dynasty has suffered huge losses, and the national strength has been emptied. In the next 20 years, we must not only recuperate and recuperate, but also deal with the aftermath of the Tibetan region, the northern region, and the western regions, and at the same time deal with the military aggression that may arise in the surrounding areas at any time. The so-called tree is a big move, and the Tang Dynasty has achieved so many victories, but at the same time, it has also erected many enemies, and attracted a lot of jealousy and covetousness. His Majesty Fang Cai has a sentence that hits the nail on the head, in the next few decades, Datang will be like a boat sailing against the current, and if it does not advance, it will retreat. Moreover, in the past, the ship of Datang was in the middle of small streams and lakes, and it didn't hurt to advance and retreat for a while; But now, the boat of the Tang Dynasty has traveled in the turbulent rivers and seas, and a step back may be a torrential whirlpool that devours the world! - Therefore, His Majesty's previous attempt to set up a king of observance is indeed a bit unworkable now. ”

"Yes! These are the two questions I've been thinking about the most lately! Li Shimin nodded and said, "What I want is a Kuanren prince who can treat his brother well; And the current Datang Sheji needs a prince who can continue to lead Datang to actively forge ahead for decades! ”

"What Your Majesty thinks, into the wood three points, Weichen has nothing else to say." Fang Xuanling bowed his hand and bowed.

Li Shimin frowned and nodded, "One is what I want, and the other is what Sheji wants...... Can't the two be unified? ”

Fang Xuanling looked at his nose and nose and did not answer.

Li Shimin smiled slightly and picked up the chopsticks, "Xuan Ling, eat!" ”

"Yes......"

"I have issued a secret edict to summon King Wu back to Beijing." Li Shimin said suddenly.

Fang Xuanling was about to pick up the vegetables, but the chopsticks shook slightly, but they didn't clip it.

Li Shimin smiled, put a piece of deer breast in Fang Xuanling's bowl, and said: "Since the time has come to face this problem, it is impossible for me and my sons to avoid it anymore. ”

"Your Majesty...... This matter is top secret, how can it be said that Weichen knows? Fang Xuanling whispered vigilantly.

"Can't I trust you?" Li Shimin smiled slightly, "In fact, there is another important factor to consider who is the prince. And this factor is the most intuitive and close at hand. ”

"Your Majesty, please?" Fang Xuanling asked.

Li Shimin smiled more and more meaningfully, and said lightly: "That is, what kind of impact will the sons who have been abandoned by me have?" ”

Fang Xuanling was stunned at first, and didn't seem to understand the deep meaning of Li Shimin's words for a while. Then he understood that the emperor was saying—if one of them was established, what would be the reaction of the other?

For example, if Li Tai is established, will Li Ke and the military give up? Will this lead to military conflicts or armed coups, or even excuses for the division of the country?

If Li Ke is established, will a group of Wenchen with the eldest grandson Wuji as the leader buy Li Ke's account? Will the three provinces and six ministries of the Tang Dynasty and even the entire imperial court fall into an unprecedented crisis or even paralyzed and collapsed because of this?

If Li Zhi ...... Then his two brothers, he can't control one of them, and he can't afford to mess with one of them!

……

"Your Majesty, Weichen understands." Fang Xuanling breathed a sigh of relief and said, "The current situation is simply difficult to ride a tiger. Weichen, I'm really worried! ”

"Now you know why I've been decided, right?" Li Shimin smiled bitterly, "Everyone in the world says that the establishment of the prince is just an emperor's family matter, just a matter of the emperor's words." If only it were that simple, it would be great. Now, I have to weigh the pros and cons and make trade-offs. Xuan Ling, I have a sincere word to you, until now, I don't know in my own heart who to set up. It's not a matter of liking it or not, whether I want it or not. The situation has long been out of my control. Now I have to settle for the next best, not hoping to set up who is most beneficial to the Li family and the Tang Dynasty, but ......"

Li Shimin paused, and Fang Xuanling listened attentively.

"Rather, it's the least harmful!"

……

Fang Xuanling's heart suddenly lit up and suddenly brightened!

"Is it because of him?!"

"That's right, it's him." Li Shimin's eyebrows tightened again, nodded lightly, and said, "The swordsman has two blades, which can kill the enemy and hurt himself. He is a heaven-sent divine sword of me and the Tang Dynasty, destroying the enemy, destroying the city, opening up the territory, and being omnipotent and invincible! But at the same time, he is also a threatening sword hanging over Datang's head, if he is not careful, he ......"

"Your Majesty, are you overly concerned?" Fang Xuanling cautiously whispered, "Qin Lang is loyal and righteous, and has the style of a father. Besides, he is the son-in-law of His Majesty's half-son......"

Li Shimin smiled slightly and said, "Fang Ling, even you can feel how powerless you are to comfort me with these words, right?" Of course, I never doubted that Qin Mubai would have different ambitions. Otherwise, how could I hand over more than half of the country's soldiers and horses and half of the Tang Dynasty to him? - But just like at the beginning, I never thought I would be ...... Xuanwu Gate."

Li Shimin's words came to an abrupt end.

Fang Xuanling sighed softly.

"If the situation is like this, what can people do?" Li Shimin shook his head and sighed, his expression slightly painful. It seems that in front of me, the scene of the change of Xuanwumen has emerged again - brothers are on the wall, and flesh and blood are killed!

"No wonder Your Majesty tossed and turned and couldn't sleep all night, now, Weichen can taste the contradictions and pain in His Majesty's heart." Fang Xuanling sighed, "But Your Majesty, you must take care of the dragon body!" The more critical this juncture, the more indispensable it is for Datang to preside over the overall situation without His Majesty! ”

Li Shimin nodded lightly, "Xuan Ling, I have already told you all my thoughts. What's your most immediate thought right now? ”

Fang Xuanling replied without thinking: "At this moment, Weichen has only one feeling, that is, His Majesty's secret summoning of King Wu back to Beijing will affect the overall situation, and the Tang Dynasty is bound to rise again!" And at this moment, the safety of King Wu's itinerary is of paramount importance and death! ”

Li Shimin's expression changed slightly, and then he nodded approvingly, "Fang Mou Du Xuan, although Du Ruhui is gone, Xuan Ling is still worthy of being my first strategist, and the sword is not old!" - But don't worry, King Wu, he will definitely arrive in Chang'an safely! ”