Xiaofeng and his mother entered the ancestral hall to worship their ancestors, and Yi Dan and the three of them wandered around the lively temple fair outside.

Suddenly, not far away, there was a solemn tiled temple. On the door of the temple, there are three small wooden plaques with the words "Mingjun Temple"

Yi Dan curiously walked to the door of this temple, only to see that the guards at the door of the temple were no longer stone lions, but two beast-like stone dragons. (The dragon of the Tang Dynasty was in the form of a beast, and later slowly evolved into a snake body)

Yi Dan curiously asked the vendor selling small windmills on the side, "May I ask my brother, which god is enshrined in this temple?"

The peddler raised his head and said, "Girl, this is the first time you have come to Gujia Town, right?"

Yi Dan said: "Yes, how do you know?"

Hawker: "If it's not your first time, how can you not know the Mingjun Temple in Gujia Town? This temple enshrines the tablet of the heroic spirit of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin. ”

Yi Dan listened to the peddler's words, and asked very curiously: "Emperor Taizong Li Shimin's tablet?"

The peddler said, "Of course, anyone can enter the temple." If you come for the first time, you can go in and have a look, and pay homage to the tablet of Emperor Taizong. ”

Yi Dan invited Xu Gui and Youming to enter the temple together.

Although this temple is not big, it is not weak. On the left and right gates of the high threshold guarded by the beast dragon, there are portraits of the mighty spirit holding iron spears.

Yi Dan said: "Mr. Xu, look, this portrait looks so powerful. ”

Xu Gui looked up, carefully identified it and said: "This should be the guardian of Emperor Taizong's palace Li Shimin, the right guard general Ashina Sheer." ”

"Ashina Sheer? doesn't sound like a Tang name. Yi Dan asked curiously.

"That's right, General Ashi was originally the prince of Luo Khan in the ******, and his life was legendary. It has witnessed the most glorious and inclusive period of Datang. ”

Youming said: "That's right, I also know something about this." According to the book, General Ashina Sheer became a tribal leader at the age of eleven, ruling over the small tribes of Tiele and Hui who had joined the Turks. His father Luo Khan, taking advantage of the chaos in the late Sui and early Tang Dynasty to invade the south many times, he also repeatedly advised to stop but to no avail, when Emperor Taizong Li Shimin just ascended the throne, the Turkic Luo Khan sent troops to fight under the city of Chang'an, and Prince Ashi who went south with the army also witnessed the Weishui alliance between Emperor Taizong and Luo Khan, and he was deeply attracted by the heroic spirit of Emperor Taizong who came to the appointment single-handedly. Later, ****** civil strife and almost collapsed, Prince Ashina took his tribe to the Western Turks and conquered half of the Western Turkic lands. In the Western Regions, there are 100,000 people, called Dubu Khan. ”

Yi Dan couldn't help but admire: "Senior brother, it seems that your book is really not in vain, may I ask what happened later?"

Youming said proudly: "Later, the Tang Dynasty surrendered to ******, and General Ashina led his troops to surrender to the Tang Dynasty. Later, he made great contributions to the recovery of the Western Regions for the Tang Dynasty and the pacification of Goguryeo, and won the trust of Emperor Taizong. Taizong was disturbed and sleepless in his later years, and it was General Ashina who guarded the palace gate for him and guarded his safety. After Taizong's death, General Ashina was disfigured and self-mutilated and asked for a burial, but Emperor Gaozong did not agree. After the death of General Ashina, he was buried in Zhaoling, and was the closest military general to the mausoleum of Emperor Taizong. ”

Xu Guidao: "Brother Youming is very right, Emperor Taizong Li Shimin can let his former enemies guard the palace gate for himself, and let him lead the supreme commander to lead the troops to fight." This kind of mind and courage is a person from the past and present. ”

Youming said: "Yes, the most rare thing is that these former opponents also respect and love him. Perhaps he was deeply impressed by the charm of Emperor Taizong. ”

Xu Guidao: "It can be seen that Emperor Taizong's bearing and courage are comparable to no emperor." Of course, this is also because Emperor Taizong's grandmother, Dugu, was originally a Xianbei person. During the Tang Dynasty, there was no obvious exclusion and distinction between ethnic tribes. The open and inclusive Tang Dynasty was born as a result. ”

You Ming said: "That's right, from a certain point of view, Datang is not the Tang Dynasty unique to Han Min, but the common Tang Dynasty of all people in the world. Isn't that Mr. Xu?"

Xu Guidao: "That's right, if you rest on your laurels and exclude others, you will never be able to progress." Only openness and inclusiveness are the foundation of a strong world. ”

Yi Dan listened to the conversation between the two and couldn't help but say, "As soon as you say that, I really want to go and see what the temple looks like." Let's go in and have a look. ”

You Ming said: "It should just be a tablet and incense for everyone." You guys go in, I'll wait for Brother Xiaofeng outside, otherwise they won't be able to find us when they come out in a while. ”

Yi Dan said: "Well, that's good, junior brother, you can wait for us outside, don't go far." ”

Youming said: "Don't worry, I'm at this door, you can go and have a look first." ”

After Yi Dan agreed, he and Xu Gui walked into this "Mingjun Temple" together.

After entering through the gate, the first thing that catches your eye is a clay statue of the emperor nearly two feet high. I saw that the statue was dressed in a golden dragon robe and wore a curtain of twelve purple and gold beads, sitting on a dragon chair, with its eyes slightly lowered, looking at the worshippers in front and below with kind and kind eyes.

In front of the clay statue, there is a big tablet, which reads: "The Heavenly Throne of Emperor Guangxiao of the Tang Dynasty Holy Spirit Taizong Wenwu Great Sage Daguangxiao"

The lower left corner of the tablet is written in slightly smaller characters: "Minnan Gu Sense Mu Holy Grace Worship" under the stage is the incense and offerings offered by the believers.

The environment in the temple is clean and tidy, and it is obviously a prosperous temple that is well maintained and orderly, and the incense is continuous.

People come in and out in twos and threes, respectfully worshipping the statue of this emperor through the ages.

Xu Gui also carefully looked at the inscription on the tablet, as if he was thinking about something.

Yi Dan saw a gap, and when there was no one around, he said to Xu Gui: "Mr. Xu, you see, I didn't expect that the Tang Dynasty has been dead for more than ten years, and there are still people who feel so much for this Emperor Taizong, and even build a temple for him and offer incense. ”

Xu Guidao: "Emperor Taizong, cultural and martial arts, unparalleled in the world, throughout the ages, no one can match. Think about the majesty and strategy of his reign back then. If the Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty travels to his homeland, I am afraid that he will also sigh to himself. ”

Yi Dan said: "It's a pity that the sage has long passed away, and the people are still pitying. Relying on sages to rule the world, after all, people will still go to empty buildings and fall apart. The never-ending vicious circle will always be replaced. ”

Xu Guidao: "Your idea coincides with mine. In fact, no matter how holy a person is, he is always a human being. If you are a human being, you can't escape the seven emotions and six desires, and you are greedy for life and afraid of death. ”

Xu Gui pointed to Li Shimin's statue and continued: "You see, this Emperor of the Ages, who sat on the dragon chair, didn't he also refine the pill and cultivate immortals in his later years, and pursued immortality? It is said that he was finally poisoned to death by the so-called elixir of immortality offered by the Fangshi of the Tianzhu Kingdom. ”

"Really, why haven't I heard of this?" Yi Dan asked curiously.

Of course, the officials at that time were afraid that the matter would make a big deal and damage the emperor's prestige. Therefore, the heavenly Zhu Fangshi was hastily released. I didn't dare to publicize this humiliating thing to the outside world. Xu Gui said.

Yi Dan asked, "Tianzhu Fangshi, why did he poison Emperor Taizong?"

Xu Gui: "It is rumored that it was because Wang Xuance accidentally destroyed the Tianzhu Kingdom without the consent of Emperor Taizong and borrowed the troops of Tubo. And the Tianzhu people counted this account on the head of Emperor Taizong. Therefore, he sent that Fang Shi to infiltrate the Tang Dynasty court as a master of Taoism, poisoned the elixir, and killed Emperor Taizong. ”

Yi Dan was surprised: "I see. However, the story of Wang Xuance's inadvertent destruction of the three Tianzhu has been told by others. He also invited back the Buddha's relics and made contributions to the interaction between Tianzhu and the Tang Dynasty. I didn't expect the second half of this story to be like this. ”

Xu Guidao: "Ancient and modern emperors can't escape the temptation of power, beauty and immortality. At the beginning, Goujian, the king of Yue, sent Xi Shi into the state of Wu, and used a beauty trick to confuse the king of Wu, causing him to destroy the country and die. The generation of Ming Jun in front of him, in order to seek immortality, was used by traitors and died early. These living, bloody examples are their profound lessons. As the saying goes, the authorities are obsessed with bystanders, and this is the truth. ”

Yi Dan said: "Yes, Mr. Xu, why do you say that since ancient times, these emperors, whether they are mediocre or virtuous, will eventually follow the same path?

Xu Gui: "Of course they understand the truth that there is life and death. It's just that after grasping the supreme power, they all want to live a few more years. That's why I used the power in my hands to do those ridiculous things. However, Emperor Taizong is different from other faint monarchs, and his alchemy is not all for immortality. ”

Yi Dan asked curiously, "Oh, is it? And what is he for?"

Xu Guidao: "He is responsible for all the things in the world alone, getting up early every day and reviewing the twists and turns, for decades, it is too hard." So I want to borrow pills to nourish my body and let myself have more energy to do things. ”

Yi Dan thought for a while and said, "In the final analysis, it's just because the emperor has too much power and no one is in charge." That's why such a farce came about. Oh, by the way, that Tianzhu Fang was later executed, right?"

Xu Guidao: "No, it is said that he is missing." ”

Yi Dan said: "That day, Zhu Fangshi broke into this big disaster, and he was not even dealt with?"

Xu Guidao: "No, it is rumored that the ministers at that time were afraid that if they killed Tianzhu Fangshi, they would make the world laugh at this generation of Ming Jun, the Heavenly Khan who was promoted by all nations, actually died of the elixir of immortality." Because Emperor Taizong said publicly many times during his lifetime that he would never believe in such nonsense as immortality in the world. And if he died in this matter, wouldn't he shoot himself in the foot with a stone and make the world laugh at him? For the sake of Emperor Taizong's first fame, the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty and the imperial family had no choice but to endure this breath. ”

Yi Dan nodded and said, "Well, in this way, there is some truth. Hey, although Datang is open-minded and tolerant, after all, it is still too dangerous to govern the world by one person. Mr. Xu, in the past few years, I have also summed up one thing, people cannot be trusted, and they must rely on strict laws to restrain behavior. Don't let those who have power expand infinitely and do whatever they want. Perhaps it is the foundation of the long-term stability of the world. ”

Xu Guidao: "Actually, Emperor Taizong himself has done this. He has realized the system of six parts of power in three provinces, and the three provinces have divided power and checked each other. ”

Yi Dan asked curiously, "What kind of three-province separation system?"

Xu Guida: "I also heard my father talk about it inadvertently, as if Emperor Taizong was afraid that he would make some unreasonable holy decrees on a whim. Therefore, he divided the imperial court into three provinces: Zhongshu, Menxia, and Shangshu. The Zhongshu Province issued a decree, the Menxia Province reviewed the decree, and the Shangshu Province implemented the decree. Any decree of the Zhongshu Province, including the emperor's own orders, had to be approved by the province before it could be handed over to the Shangshu Province for enforcement. Emperor Taizong did this, but he also wanted the power of the three provinces to contain and supervise each other, and at the same time, he was also afraid that he would make a wrong decision on a whim and destroy his century-old reputation. ”

Yi Dan said: "Very good, such a law is very perfect, but why did it cease to exist later?"

Xu Guidao: "Emperor Taizong's original system of separation of powers in three provinces and six ministries restricts the power of the monarch very much. But this way of restraining oneself is tantamount to weaving a cage for those successors who want to monopolize power. In the eyes of their successors, it became an obstacle to their absolute power, and no one continued to do so. Besides, after all, since ancient times, all emperors have believed that the world belongs to their family, including Emperor Taizong Li Shimin. Although his three provinces and six ministries restrained each other, they were all directly responsible to the emperor. In other words, the emperor is above the three provinces and six departments, in fact, no one can control him. Therefore, there will always be some people with bad intentions, who cheat and cheat for their own careers. This three-province separation system eventually lost to the greedy people's hearts. ”

Yi Dan said: "In this way, Emperor Taizong's original law of mutual containment is very good, and it is also a great initiative. It's a pity that in the end, they are only responsible to the emperor, not the people of the world. Emperor Taizong himself once said that the people are water, the king is the boat, and the water can carry the boat and capsize the boat. He was clearly reminding himself not to let the calm waters stir up the waves. Otherwise, you will have to capsize your own ship. However, he believed that Emperor Taizong's words were only strictly disciplining himself, and he did not realize the true relationship between the king and the people. ”

Xu Gui asked, "Really, tell me what is the real relationship between the king and the people?"

Yi Dan said: "In my humble opinion, the real relationship between the king and the people should be the relationship between the employer and the employee. ”

Xu Gui's eyes widened and he asked curiously, "Employer and employment?" This is very new, so who is the employer and who is the employee?"

Yi Dan said: "The people are employers, and kings and officials are hired people. In my opinion, the world is owned by the common people, but everyone is busy with their own affairs, and they cannot all participate in the governance and protection of the family and the country. So the people paid taxes and pooled their money, hired the officials and soldiers, and asked them to administer the land for themselves. ”

When Xu Gui heard this, he said in surprise: "Your idea is so novel, it's the first time I've heard it, but it's very interesting." Although you think so, the emperors will not agree to your statement. ”

Yi Dan said: "Yes, I know that those who are hired, after they grasp power, will think that the world is their own. Then he stepped on the head of the employer's owner and did whatever he wanted. The employer who used to pay has become a slave to be slaughtered. The servants hired by themselves at their own expense were drained of their blood and sweat, and their bones were gone. Pity them until the last moment, they can't see all this clearly. ”

Xu Gui said: "After listening to Miss Yi's words, Xu suddenly opened up. I originally thought that the ultimate governance of the world was done by Emperor Taizong Li Shimin. When the water is full, it overflows, and when the moon is full, it loses. Presumably, no one will surpass him in the future. But listening to your words, girl, I just understood another truth, the world is far from the extreme situation. The people can truly be the masters of their own affairs, control their own destiny, and every household has a lot of wealth, and everyone is equal in dignity. That's the real Elysium. ”

Yi Dan said: "Yes, in the final analysis, the people are the employers who pay and the masters of the world. ”

Xu Gui couldn't help but bow and said solemnly: "Thank you Miss Yi for your teachings, in just a few small talks, Xu has learned a lot from you, please accept Xu Mou's worship." With that, Xu Gui was about to bow to Yi Dan.

Yi Dan hurriedly helped Xu Gui and excused himself: "Mr. Xu, please don't be polite." I also learned a lot from you. ”

"Awards, awards. The girl is so smart, Xu admires it very much. Xu Gui said.

After Yi Dan looked at Li Shimin's statue, he thought deeply and said: "In the first place, I thought that power would have to contain and supervise each other. After listening to Mr. Xu's words today, I realized that Emperor Taizong had used such a method a long time ago, but it didn't work. The reason is not that this law does not work, but that in the end there are people who are above power. ”

Xu Gui said: "That's right, Emperor Taizong is so wise, but after all, it is impossible to change the fact that he himself is also a pawn in this game of chess, unable to return the government to the people, and let the people decide their own fate." ”

Yi Dan said: "So sages are also human beings, not gods. Human beings are selfish, and no one can overcome this. ”

Xu Gui said: "That's right, but Emperor Taizong has done a good job compared to any previous king, and we don't need to be too harsh on him who has been dead for hundreds of years." ”

Yi Dan: "Yes, after all, if you are human, you will never be able to get rid of the curse of greed and selfishness. The cycle goes on and on, never ending. I don't know how to crack it. Even sages can hardly discard the family tradition of passing from father to son and son to grandchildren. ”

"Yes, that's why there is a flourishing ancestor worship in this ancestral hall. Xu Gui said.

Yi Dan looked up and said, "The perfect world in my vision should be one where there is no supreme monarch, everyone is free, and all seas are equal. ”

After hearing Yi Dan's words, Xu Gui said with a smile: "Miss Yi, the world you are talking about is probably the world of hundreds of years, thousands of years from now, right? Anyway, in this life, it should be impossible for us to have a chance to see it." ”

Yi Dan said with a smile: "Then I hope we can all work hard and one day we will achieve it." ”

Xu Gui Xiaodao: "I didn't expect you to have such a grand and broad vision at such a young age, which really impressed Xu." ”

Yi Dan said: "How dare you, Mr. Xu, you are erudite and talented." is what I admire very much. ”

Xu Gui smiled and nodded, "Where?"

Yi Dan looked at the statue and said with a smile: "You say, let's be here, in front of Emperor Taizong, to say that he is not." Isn't that a little rude? He doesn't blame us, does he?"

Emperor Taizong was broad-minded, and Wei Zheng helped Li Jiancheng to kill him, but after he pacified the imperial court, he also named Wei Zheng as an official, and Wei Zheng repeatedly accused Emperor Taizong of his mistakes in front of hundreds of civil and military officials. But Emperor Taizong did not blame Wei Zheng in the end. We just told the truth, I don't think he should bother with us, right?"

Yi Dan Kojima: "Yes, I think it should be the same. With that, the two of them burst out laughing.

Just as Yi Dan and Xu Gui were in the Mingjun Temple, they were deeply discussing each other's thoughts. At a stall selling small windmills for children outside the door, You Ming saw two mysterious and sneaky people not far away, looking at the crowd at the temple fair.

You Ming took a closer look, and one of them looked very much like the pirate leader he met on the sea this morning. I saw the two of them look at the crowd from a distance for a while, and then turned to leave.

Youming rubbed his eyes and quietly followed. But they didn't go far, and the two disappeared.

At this time, Gu Xiaofeng and his mother finished worshipping their ancestors and walked out of the ancestral hall. Running into Youming, who was looking around, Gu Xiaofeng asked, "Brother Youming, what are you looking for? ”

Youming looked back and saw that it was Gu Xiaofeng, so he replied: "Oh, it's nothing, maybe it's my eyes." ”

Gu Xiaofeng asked, "Brother Youming, what did you see?"

"I seem to have seen in the crowd the pirates we met at sea in the morning. Youming said.

Gu Xiaofeng said in surprise: "Isn't it? Shouldn't they go to the West Sea?"

Youming said: "That's right, so I said that maybe I was dazzled, Old Madam Wu, Brother Xiaofeng, your ancestor worship is over, right?"

"Yes, may I ask what about your senior sister and Mr. Xu?" asked Gu Xiaofeng.

"Oh, they're in the Mingjun Temple on the other side. Youming said.

"Alright, let's go find them" (to be continued.) )