Li Dan was proclaimed emperor by his mother and ministers without knowing it. He didn't understand how the elder brother who had already become the emperor was abandoned, nor did he understand how he became the emperor of the Tang Dynasty overnight.

He didn't see the scene of the Imperial Forest Army marching into the palace in the Qianyuan Palace, which was the scene of Emperor Li Xian coming down from the emperor's throne, which was somewhat of a kind of protection and care for Li Dan, allowing him to once again avoid seeing the cruel and ruthless side of the royal family, as well as the most majestic side of the queen mother that Li Xian did not allow to say.

He didn't know what he was going to do, and he didn't know what he could do. He could only wait and see, and could only wait for the instructions and instructions of the queen mother.

However, what he saw was the queen mother's day-to-day pro-dynasty system, so he soon understood that in fact he did not think about anything, did not do anything; I finally understood that the huge scene of changing the Yuan title system and amnesty to the world, and the leading of hundreds of civil and military officials to re-ascend the title to the Queen Mother, were all for the ministers to see the world, and they had little to do with him as an emperor.

This was enough to make him feel relieved, and he was happy to pass his leisurely days as an outsider. He turned a deaf ear to the noise outside.

Too much bloody rain numbs him and makes him introspective. Since we are determined to have no quarrel with the world, we must stay away from right and wrong, stay away from power struggles, and take the initiative to give up grievances and grievances.

He saw a strong queen mother, a mother full of confidence and fortitude, and her authority could not be challenged by anyone. Li Dan was very convinced of his mother and sincerely hoped that his mother would be in power.

In front of Li Dan, the queen mother is a daunting and unattainable mountain, her wisdom. Her super deeds can only be relied upon. Insurmountable. The queen mother is his backer, and he can be proud. He is proud, but he does not need and does not allow him to use the patron and example of the queen mother to realize his ideals and achieve any personal goals.

Just after the Yangzhou Rebellion was quelled and the first assistant Pei Yan was cleared, in the first month of the second year of Guangzhai, Empress Wu announced that he would return to power.

This surprised Li Dan and made him fidget. In the past two years, the queen mother has been in power, and he has never thought about or revealed his intention to govern, and he thinks that there are no inappropriate words and deeds that cause his mother's dissatisfaction. Thereupon. He calmly begged his mother to take back his fate.

The queen mother did not agree, he asked again, and so on and so forth. He knew that the queen mother was testing him, and she was also making a gesture of returning the emperor to the court and the world. So, after some humble resignation between mother and son, it was naturally the queen mother who gladly accepted Li Dan's request to continue to govern, and announced amnesty for this purpose.

Emperor Li Dan didn't want those ministers to cry out for him. He is even more opposed to the royal family taking risks for him. Over the years, he has seen and felt a number of changes that have occurred inside and outside the court, and most of these changes revolve around him, the nominal emperor, whether it is out of personal selfishness or to maintain the orthodoxy of the Tang Dynasty. None of them were able to bypass him, the emperor.

He is able to clearly see the intentions and intentions of all parties in the situation, and although he also has his own personal orientation and inner feelings, the two sides of each situation will hardly consider any intention of his party. Nor will he take into account any of his personal emotions. They can argue that this is completely unnecessary. Or from the beginning they simply didn't think about what to rely on or what to get from him.

They focus on the aftermath rather than the present, and the immediate purpose is nothing more than to bring each other down. The rest of the qiē is not irrelevant. One qiē is carried out in his name or under his banner, and one qiē has nothing to do with him, which is undoubtedly another protection for Emperor Li Dan, because the result of their competition is to push all the qiē responsibilities related to him to each other.

He doesn't want to say anything, he can't do anything, his special status does not allow him to show any personal feelings and tendencies, and he knows that no matter what he says or does, he will not be able to calm the situation on both sides, but will only invite right and wrong and provoke greater incidents.

This is painful for him, but it is the best option. He only pleaded with his mother once for others, and that was a plea after Liu Yizhi's accident.

It was not Liu Yizhi who begged him, but he took the initiative to intercede for Liu Yizhi. Liu Yizhi was his most respected courtier and his mentor, and he couldn't bear to let his mentor suffer for himself.

His request was not tolerated and agreed to by the Queen Mother, which disappointed him and made him sad. In fact, how did he know that Liu Yizhi had made a final break with his mother at that time, and he no longer needed anyone's sympathy and help, and of course he didn't want his former master, today's emperor, to intercede for him. He didn't want to excuse Liu Yizhi, and he couldn't simply judge the queen mother,

The right and wrong of the court are not judged by a particular preaching. However, putting aside the grievances of right and wrong, in terms of personality, he is also pleased that Liu Yizhi can maintain a big festival at a critical time. He can only remain silent, and he does not need to express his position, in fact, silence itself is an attitude.

In the first year of the light house, in the Sanyang Palace, the Empress Wu was dressed in loose civilian clothes, sitting on the dark red soft collapse, and sitting opposite the Empress Wu was the left servant of Shangshu and Liu Renliang, the third grade of the same book. This is an old minister who is known as a Confucian general, well-read in the world, wise and brave, and has been in an important position since Zhenguan.

In the fifth year of Xianqing, Liu Ren led his troops to Baekje for the first time and annihilated more than 10,000 enemies; In the second year of Longshuo, when the Japanese general Mao Ye Zhizi and others launched an attack on Silla with the elite of the country, Liu Renliang was ordered to lead the troops with other generals to attack, fought hard for 20 days, and won a brilliant victory in four battles and four victories.

After the war, Liu Renliang was ordered to defend Baekje; Faced with the situation of the withering and decaying Baekje Territory and the zombies belonging to each other, he recorded the household registration, appointed the officials, opened the roads, tidyed up the villages, built bridges, recovered Pitang, advised the classes to farm, gave loans to the poor, and asked the lonely and the elderly. The remnants of Baekje are in peace.

In the fifth year of Xianheng, he was the general manager of Jilin Road, and in the eastern expedition to Silla, Liu Renliang led his troops to the Lulu River and broke the seven cities in the north. Take Gong Jin Jue as the duke. Looking at this old man who was more than 20 years older than himself and had experienced vicissitudes, Empress Wu couldn't help but feel a little respectful.

"Is the regular old body good?" Empress Wu raised her eyes and greeted Liu Renliang gently. Liu Renliang raised his white eyebrows and replied unhurriedly: "It's good." Only earlier two more teeth were removed. ”

And pointed to his mouth with a trembling hand. Empress Wu saw. There was almost nothing behind the open lips, and it was hard to find the Confucian generals of the past. Sitting in front of him was just an old man in his last years. Empress Wu sighed: "Zhengzheng has always been an old minister since Zhenguan, and there are not many people alive now. ”

"Yes. When I spoke to Emperor Taizong, I was not yet forty years old. It's been more than 40 years, and I'm in my twilight years! Liu Renliang replied with emotion. I was only fourteen years old when I entered the palace, and now is it also the year of ear shunning. ”

For the lost years, Empress Wu also seems to feel sad. The people who came over during the Zhenguan period have too much understanding and too many feelings about each other. The things that each other has experienced have different paths and have their own merits; Time has passed, and some are slowly fading. And receded from their respective memories.

Some are still going on, becoming untiring knots and unspeakable topics. Facing the old minister with a complicated mentality in front of him, the mood of the martial queen is also complicated.

It should be said that on some important issues of governing the country and securing the state, Liu Renliang is assertive and strategic, and as a civil official, it is even more commendable that he can still make contributions to the country in his old age. However, he was in charge of the dynasty and assisted the Li royal family. Empress Wu knew that Liu Renliang was stubborn.

The first auxiliary minister Pei Yan incident, Liu Renliang stayed in Chang'an, and Empress Wu sent a special envoy Jiang Sizong to Chang'an to listen to Liu Renliang's opinion in person. Liu Renliang supported Empress Wu to deal with Pei Yan for the crime of treason, in fact, it was just a vent of Liu Renliang's dissatisfaction with Pei Yan's gang's rejection of dissidents and suppression of civil officials and important ministers. It does not mean that he agrees with the system of the Emperor Wu.

Sure enough, as expected by Empress Wu, he defeated Li Jingye and rebelled after Wuhou. After dealing with Pei Yan and his gang, Liu Renliang immediately wrote the book. Use the facts of the defeat of Empress Lu in the Han Dynasty to admonish Empress Wu. Empress Wu didn't want to break the matter at this time, for such an elderly minister who had a decisive influence in the imperial court, what was needed most now was pacification rather than argument.

Considering that they are all people who have come over during the Zhenguan period, they have more common language, especially for the great achievements of the former emperor Taizong, they are all sincere admiration, so the Empress Wu led the topic to the Zhenguan period. Empress Wu said: "Zhengze was born in a poor family, and he was loved by Emperor Taizong first, and he achieved great things in the Zhenguan years, and he felt a lot?" ”

Liu Renliang replied without thinking: "During the Zhenguan period, a hundred wastes were waiting to be revived, and it was the time when the imperial court hired people. ”

Although Liu Renliang spoke softly, his gratitude was still overflowing. When Liu Renliang was young, he was not afraid of being strong and upright.

In October of the fourteenth year of Taizong's Zhenguan, Chen Cang folded and rushed to Lu Ning, the commander of the capital, who was proud of his high rank, arrogant and rude, and no one could stop it. Liu Renliang persuaded him with kind words and ordered him not to commit it again. But Lu Ning not only did not relent, but intensified, and Liu Renliang threw him into prison. Lu Ning was unrepentant in prison and abused Liu Renliang.

In a fit of rage, Liu Renliang beat Lu Ning to death with a cane. When Taizong heard this, he was furious, he couldn't believe that a county lieutenant under the eighth rank dared to kill the big man? So Liu Renliang was escorted to Chang'an and questioned in person.

In the face of Tang Taizong, Liu Renliang was fearless, made a statement with emotion, and finally said: "Lu Ning insulted the ministers and the ministers like this, and the ministers killed them in anger. After hearing this, Tang Taizong knew the reason, so he turned his anger into joy. As a result, Liu Renliang was valued by Taizong.

For Liu Renliang's early years, which is well-known to the world and famous all over the world, although it has been lightened by Liu Renliang's later great achievements, when she thinks of those past events in the Zhenguan period, the Empress Wu sighed a lot: "Yes, you and I are both people who came over during the Zhenguan period, and we have won the love of the emperor Taizong, and we should repay the kindness of the encounter;

The first emperor's view of breaking the door valve and using the talents of the common people is really a wise move; The emperor's martial arts are incomparable! Empress Wu praised the first emperor Taizong, and then asked, "However, the elders of our dynasty, only the clan of the gate lords is a move, and the people of the cold family are disdainful, isn't it rotten?" ”

Liu Renliang heard that the second half of the sentence was clearly to vent his dissatisfaction with the deceased eldest grandson Wuji and Chu Suiliang's old ministers, and it seemed that Empress Wu had not forgotten their opposition to her establishment of the queen over time.

In fact, he is also a heartfelt supporter of Empress Wu, and he also has an instinctive resistance to the wealthy nobles, and he is not used to the words and deeds of the eldest grandson Wuji and a group of patriarchs who are domineering and contemptuous of the concubines of the poor family, and what is unacceptable is only the cruel treatment of the eldest grandson Wuji by the first emperor Gaozong and the Empress Wu. So he replied: "Emperor Taizong is a generation of Ming monarchs, and he has the right time, place, and people; Governing the country with virtue and creating the rule of chastity. The world is convinced! ”

"Don't you think the Xuanwu Gate change is too cruel?" Empress Wu's words changed, and a hard sentence suddenly appeared. "I thought. It was a last resort. Liu responded quickly.

"There are many things in the world that are done as a last resort!" This is the topic that Empress Wu wants, and then said. "In the final analysis, this world is the world of the wise, the world of the strong, and any brotherhood and blood relationship are unreliable! Can a person with great ambitions and geniuses in the world be willing to bow down and bow down? ”

Liu Renliang didn't expect that Empress Wu would provoke such a heavy topic, and she was aggressive. I really don't know how to answer it. I thought that Empress Wu summoned him because he had written a book not long ago, but Empress Wu deliberately avoided it and did not mention anything about it, as if this incident had not happened at all, which made him even more uneasy.

As far as the rules are concerned, he is only doing his duty as a minister, and he has nothing else to do with good intentions; Sincerely worry about the Empress Wu. I don't want to see the endless killing of the palace anymore. One thing he heard very clearly was that Empress Wu was bragging for her own way of doing politics.

So, Liu Renliang still advised: "There is no one in the world who is strong and wise, and I Datang can have this today." But the world is treacherous, and common sense is hard to disobey? Empress Wu heard these words and knew Liu Renliang's advice. is worried that some of his actions will be detrimental to the court and will cause greater trouble to the court. It also brings accidents to yourself.

The old man's good intentions were enough to move the Empress Wu. Empress Wu has served by Taizong's side for more than ten years, and has seen with her own eyes Taizong's generosity. We are well aware of the importance of speaking out in order to govern the country and secure the country. Liu Ren's track was reused by Taizong,

It is also thanks to his courage to speak out. During Liu Renliang's tenure as the Cheng of Liyang County, Taizong wanted to go hunting in Tongzhou. It was the autumn harvest season, and the people were busy with the wheat harvest. The emperor hunts and inevitably mobilizes the people, delaying the harvest of the farmers.

Causing man-made losses. Liu Renliang started from being considerate of the people, wrote a book, and persuaded the emperor to postpone his actions. Speaking directly to the emperor was also advocated by Taizong at that time, and the atmosphere formed by it had too much influence on both the present and future generations, so that he dared to admonish,

The courage to tell the truth to the emperor was a moral standard for a minister, and an important symbol to measure whether a minister was frank and loyal to the monarch.

Tang Taizong was obviously moved by Liu Renliang's advice, and specially sent a seal to commend Liu Renliang: "Although the secretary is humble, he serves the country wholeheartedly, and I am very happy for what he has said." ”

Soon, Liu Renliang was appointed as the new security order, and then moved to the middle of the matter. In fact, Empress Wu did not object to the minister's entry into Cambodia, which is where Li Shimin, the monarch of the Tang Dynasty, ruled the country.

She opposes ministers who maliciously slander her or slander her character, and she listens humbly to the advice of good intentions, and chooses what is good; Even if she can't accept or contradict her advice, she can be lenient and will not deliberately pursue the merits, at most she will show her attitude.

She knows that admonishment is a kind of atmosphere, and it is also a duty of ministers, and there are many people who sell fame and fame and grandstand, and there are no lack of people who quote scriptures and classics to show their talent and wisdom.

Even non-conformist ministers like Liu Renliang were inevitably caught up in the trap in his early years, as evidenced by his exhortation to the emperor not to hunt before the farmer's harvest.

Obviously, it is a matter of little clarity, and it is necessary to come to "King Zhou inquired about Yu Xun, and Yin Hou sought to build it with a board, so he had to enjoy the country for a long time...... Keiliu Houye", and so on, talked about the reasoning for a while, and went around in a big circle before he talked about what he wanted to talk about.

However, in order to govern the country, and to better cooperate with the minister, she must satisfy the minister's desire to advise and absorb as much of the minister's opinion as possible.

Empress Wu summoned Liu Renliang this time to exchange some opinions and views with this highly respected and accomplished old man, to further express his attitude and intention of brainstorming and wisdom, and to show care for the admonitor and give him more comfort to dispel his concerns, and there was no intention to convince him in the first place.

For Empress Wu, some things can only be actions and effects, not words! She is not Empress Lu, but she has never avoided Empress Lu in history, and she is confident that she will not repeat the mistakes of Empress Lu;

Although she has a different understanding of Empress Lü, she can't thoroughly understand the Empress Lü hundreds of years ago, so she can't find much reason to sympathize with Empress Lü, and there is no need to defend Empress Lü to distinguish right from wrong, let alone use this to justify her actions;

However, both royal women and queen mothers must have the same fate and suffering as royal women;

Women who are well aware of the royal family, there are some things they can choose, and more things are not something they can choose, and even if they make a choice, they are involuntarily unable to do so;

What's more, the laws they enforced, even if they were cruel and bloody, were commonplace in the court, and their effects and consequences were not completely predictable to them.

If there is failure, there is success, and if she wants to choose success, she needs to have more wisdom and deeds than Empress Lu, and she also needs to be vigilant at all times, which is also the reason why Empress Wu treats her old minister Liu Renliang well.

In order to appease Liu Renliang, Empress Wu said: "Zhengzhi Lao takes the court as his home, takes the world as his own responsibility, and his loyalty is unswerving; The wind of strong and straight, ancient and modern, is a model for the ministers, the world's respected teacher, we will be the righteous old advice as a warning, pour our hearts to do, do our best. ”

After Liu Renliang heard this, he understood that Empress Wu did not mean to accept it sincerely. However, the overall situation has been decided, and he himself is no longer able to turn things around, and it is no longer difficult to say which is right and wrong, so he can only rely on the Queen Mother herself, so Xie Yan said: "The Queen Mother is serious, the old minister is old and weak, and his words are light, and it is difficult to do his best for the court and share the worries for the Queen Mother; State affairs are at the forefront, and I hope that the Queen Mother will make her own decisions. ”

Empress Wu understood that this was the old man's heartfelt words, and there was a bit of helplessness in his humility. Empress Wu knows very well that when Liu Renliang reaches this age, he has more than enough heart but not enough strength, and knows that all the rules and regulations cannot change the fait accompli.

Liu Renliang can be self-aware, for many years, although he has a grudge against the Empress Wu, he can still work together with the Empress Wu as the prime minister, and never encroach on power; and always maintained his independent nature, and did not get into trouble with others, so as to avoid direct confrontation and confrontation with the Empress Wu, which was not easy for Liu Renliang.

And the mind and character that are not proud of merit and do not take merit to favor are even more respected by the Empress Wu. Empress Wu understands that for such a respected and dying old man, the most important thing is to give him more care and comfort.

So, Empress Wu turned to Liu Renliang and carefully asked about his daily life and diet, and Liu Renliang answered them one by one.

In the end, Empress Wu comforted him cordially: "Zhengzhi always has to take care of his body, some things can be done, if you can't do it, don't force it, don't work too hard." "Liu Renliang thanks. (To be continued......)